[HoustonS]

hi!

i am having difficulty explaining to myself why the monobromination of diphenyl ether is relatively slow. can you help me?

i know that the para configuration would be favored because of steric hindrance, and i know that meta would be seen only in trace amounts, but i do not understand what about the -0-arene substituent deactivates the arene...

THANKS!!!

[movies]

I assume that the question is asking why diphenyl ether reacts slower relative to phenol.  Think about how the electronics are changed by adding an additional phenyl ring.  What could you say about where the electrons spend their time?