= Friedel-Crafts reaction
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{wiki=Friedel–Crafts_reaction}
A <Friedel-Crafts reaction> introduces an alkyl or acyl group onto an aromatic ring by <electrophilic aromatic substitution>, commonly with activation by a <Lewis acid>. Alkylation and acylation are related reaction families but have different intermediate chemistry.
An alkylation pathway can involve carbocation-like rearrangements and can promote repeated substitution. An acylation transfers an <acyl group> through an activated electrophile, often described using an <acylium ion>, and its carbonyl substituent generally deactivates the product toward further substitution. These differences explain why the two variants are not interchangeable methods of adding a carbon substituent.
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