JEE Main 2026 — Haloalkanes and Haloarenes Question with Solution
JEE Main 2026 (22 January Shift 1)
Question
The correct order of reactivity of in methanol with the following nucleophiles is and
Choose an option
Show full solutionCorrect option: B
Correct answer
B
Step-by-step explanation
In methanol (protic solvent), nucleophilicity is determined by basicity and solvation effects. Smaller ions are heavily solvated by the protic solvent, reducing their effective nucleophilicity.
C₂H₅O⁻ (ethoxide) is the strongest nucleophile as it is less solvated and highly basic.
C₆H₅O⁻ (phenoxide) is weaker due to resonance stabilization by the benzene ring.
F⁻ is highly solvated despite high basicity, reducing its nucleophilicity significantly.
I⁻ is the best nucleophile because it is the largest ion and least solvated in methanol.
The correct order is I⁻ > C₂H₅O⁻ > C₆H₅O⁻ > F⁻.
C₂H₅O⁻ (ethoxide) is the strongest nucleophile as it is less solvated and highly basic.
C₆H₅O⁻ (phenoxide) is weaker due to resonance stabilization by the benzene ring.
F⁻ is highly solvated despite high basicity, reducing its nucleophilicity significantly.
I⁻ is the best nucleophile because it is the largest ion and least solvated in methanol.
The correct order is I⁻ > C₂H₅O⁻ > C₆H₅O⁻ > F⁻.
Practice this on the real CBT interface
Solve this JEE Main question (and the rest of the Haloalkanes and Haloarenes chapter) on PrepSharp's TCS iON-style CBT player — with timer, bookmarks and session analytics.
Solve interactively →About this question
This is a previous-year question from JEE Main 2026, covering the Haloalkanes and Haloarenes chapter of Chemistry. PrepSharp catalogues every PYQ from JEE Main with a verified answer key and step-by-step solution prepared by IIT alumni — so you can search by chapter, topic or year and revise efficiently.