What purpose does FeCl₃ serve when benzene undergoes an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction with chlorine?
- It serves as a Lewis acid catalyst by reacting with Cl₂ to make it a better electrophile.
- It serves as a radical initiator to produce the chlorine radical needed to propagate the chain reaction.
- It serves as a Lewis base catalyst by reacting with Cl₂ to generate chloride ions.
- It functions by destabilizing benzene through formation of a T-complex.
- It functions by destabilizing the carbocation intermediate and thereby increases the rate of H⁺.