Friedel-Crafts Alkylation with Phenol

[sakket]

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I was wondering if you can do a friedel-craft alkylation reaction with a phenol. I read somewhere that you must "protect" the alcohol as an ether before you can do friedel-craft. I wanted to confirm whether this is true or not.

Thank you!

 

[PCOM_Pharmacy_2015]

Yes. you can do a friedel craft alkylation reaction with a phenol. But you don't need to protect it. just one Hydrogen that is on the adjacent carbon of OH is taken away, forming a carbon cation and the alkylation occurs, this happens in acidic environment.

 

[OldPhotography]

Yeah, you can. You can do an alkylation or an acylation as long as the substituent isn't a deactivator. Any of the meta directors are deactivators plus halogens, which are ortho-para directors but are also deactivating. The hydroxyl group on a benzene ring is an activator.