Activating or deactivating, and where next

Use this for “Toluene is nitrated. Is it faster or slower than benzene, and where does the –NO₂ go?”

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What does each group on the ring do to the next substitution?

Tap a card, then tap its group.

Groups that give electrons speed the ring up and send the next group ortho and para; halogens slow it but still send it ortho and para.

Assumptions

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The ring attacks an electrophile, so a group that gives the ring electrons speeds the reaction (activating) and one that pulls them away slows it (deactivating).

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A lone pair on the atom bonded to the ring, or an alkyl group, steadies the cation formed by attack ortho or para to it.

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A group whose first atom carries a partial or full + charge (C=O, C≡N, N⁺, S, CF₃) would sit beside the ring’s + charge after ortho or para attack; meta attack keeps them apart.

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Halogens pull electrons through the σ bond more than they give through their lone pairs, yet those lone pairs still steady ortho and para attack.

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