Statement I: The presence of nitro group at ortho or para position increases the reactivity of haloarenes towards nucleophilic addition

Statement II: Nitro group being an electron-withdrawing group decreases the electron density over the benzene ring.

Both statement I and statement II are correct and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I

The answer is (1) both statement I and statement II are correct and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I.

Statement I is correct because the presence of a nitro group at the ortho or para position decreases the electron density over the benzene ring. This makes the benzene ring more electron-deficient, which makes it more reactive toward nucleophilic addition.

Statement II is also correct because the nitro group is an electron-withdrawing group. This means that it pulls electrons away from the benzene ring, decreasing the electron density.

The correct explanation for why statement I is correct is that statement II provides the reason for the increased reactivity. The decreased electron density on the benzene ring makes it more reactive toward nucleophilic addition.

Here is a diagram that shows how the nitro group decreases the electron density over the benzene ring:

The rates of electronic aromatic substitution are dramatically lower when any of the above functional groups are substituted for hydrogen.

Each of these groups can act as a pi-acceptor, removing electron density from an adjacent pi system.

As you can see, the nitro group is withdrawing electrons away from the benzene ring, making the electron density more concentrated on the ortho and para positions. This makes the ortho and para positions more electron-deficient, which makes them more reactive towards nucleophilic addition.

Therefore, both statement I and statement II are correct and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I.