Question

Propose a synthesis of this compound starting from toluene and phenol.

Short answer

Question: Propose a synthesis of an aromatic compound using toluene and phenol as starting materials. Answer: Without a specific target compound, we can create a variety of aromatic products by combining phenol and toluene via different electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) reactions, such as nitration, halogenation, Friedel-Crafts alkylation, and Friedel-Crafts acylation.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the target compound

First, we need to identify the target compound that we want to synthesize using toluene and phenol as starting materials. Unfortunately, the exercise does not provide a specific target compound. Please provide the target compound and we can proceed with the synthesis steps.

Alternate approach

In the absence of a specific target compound, we can provide a more general approach to synthesizing aromatic compounds using toluene and phenol as starting materials. This is based on electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) reactions, which are common methods for functionalizing aromatic rings.

EAS reactions with phenol

Phenol is an aromatic compound with a hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to the benzene ring. The hydroxyl group is an electron-donating group (EDG), making the ortho and para positions more nucleophilic. Electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions involving phenol include: 1. Nitration (adding a -NO2 group) 2. Halogenation (adding a halogen, such as -Cl, -Br, or -I) 3. Friedel-Crafts alkylation (adding an alkyl group) 4. Friedel-Crafts acylation (adding an acyl group)

EAS reactions with toluene

Toluene is an aromatic compound with a methyl (-CH3) group attached to the benzene ring. The methyl group is also an electron-donating group (EDG), making the ortho and para positions more nucleophilic. Electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions involving toluene include: 1. Nitration (adding a -NO2 group) 2. Halogenation (adding a halogen, such as -Cl, -Br, or -I) 3. Friedel-Crafts alkylation (adding an alkyl group) 4. Friedel-Crafts acylation (adding an acyl group)

Combine the products from the EAS reactions

After performing the desired EAS reactions on phenol and toluene, various functionalized derivatives can be created. For instance, a halogenation reaction can be performed on toluene to generate 4-chlorotoluene and then a Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction can be performed on the phenol using 4-chlorotoluene to create a combined product. Alternatively, phenol can be subjected to Friedel-Crafts alkylation/acylation using toluene as an alkylating/acylating agent, leading to a direct combined product of the two starting materials. In conclusion, without a specific target compound, we can create a variety of aromatic products by combining phenol and toluene via different electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. By performing suitable EAS reactions, a diverse group of products can be obtained from the provided starting materials.