"An example of electrophilic aromatic substitution is halogenation. Benzene is normally unreactive in the presence of halogens, because halogens are not electrophilic enough to disrupt its aromaticity. However, the halogen may be activated by Lewis acidic catalysts, such as ferric halides (FeX3) or aluminum halides (AlX3), to become a much more powerful electrophile. (...) The halogenation of benzene becomes more exothermic as we proceed from I2(endothermic) to F2 (exothermic and explosive). Chlorinations and brominations are achieved with the help of Lewis acid catalysts that polarize the X – X bond and activate the halogen by increasing its electrophilic power."