Question

Which methyl radical has the highest affinity to attack an aromatic?

(a) Diphenyl ether

(b) Quinoline

(c) Benzene

(d) Anthracene

I have been asked this question during an internship interview.

The origin of the question is Types of Alkylation topic in portion Alkylation of Unit Processes

Answer 1

Right answer is (d) Anthracene

To explain: The affinity of the methyl radical to attack an aromatic increases in the following order: benzene, diphenyl ether, pyridine, diphenyl, benzophenone, naphthalene, quinoline, phenanthrene, pyrene, and anthracene.