Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Meta director: In electrophilic aromatic substitution, a substituent that favors electrophilic attack meta to the substituent. Most meta directors are also deactivators.

Bromination of nitrobenzene gives meta-bromonitrobenzene as the major product because the nitro group is a meta director.

	aq. HONO2 aq. H2SO4		+
Bromobenzene		Ortho-bromonitrobenzene		Para-bromonitrobenzene

Nitration of bromobenzene gives a mixture of ortho-bromonitrobenzene and para-bromonitrobenzene as the major products because the bromine substituent is an ortho/para director.