Is styrene more or less reactive than benzene towards electrophiles?

Is styrene more activated or more deactivated than benzene towards electrophilic aromatic substitution? The C=C double bond doesn't seem to have any particular electron-withdrawing or -donating properties, so I'm not sure what to make of it.




Styrene (vinylbenzene) undergoes electrophilic aromatic substitution much faster than benzene. Although the vinyl group seems to be withdrawing, it offers +M effect in the carbocation intermediate. Resonance forms of the intermediates to explain these results. and the products are found to be primarily ortho- and para-substituted styrenes. The products are found to be primarily ortho- and para-substituted styrenes.


 1