MHT CET Chemistry Question (2026) — Solution

Step-by-step solution

Friedel-Crafts acylation is an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction in which an acyl group is introduced into an aromatic ring. The reaction requires a strong Lewis acid catalyst to facilitate the generation of the electrophilic acylium ion from an acyl halide or acid anhydride. Anhydrous AlCl _3 is the standard and most widely used Lewis acid catalyst for this purpose. The general reaction is: ArH + RCOCl Anhydrous AlCl _3 ArCOR + HCl Answer: Anhydrous AlCl _3