Final answer:
Resonance stabilization typically makes a compound less reactive towards nucleophilic attack because it distributes electrons and lowers potential energy, resulting in a more stable and less electrophilic resonance hybrid.
Step-by-step explanation:
False. Resonance stabilization typically makes a compound less reactive towards nucleophilic attack. The delocalization of π- or nonbonding electrons across multiple atoms creates a resonance hybrid that is lower in potential energy and more stable than any of its contributing structures. This stabilization can decrease the positive charge on electrophilic centers, making them less susceptible to attack by nucleophiles.
A classic example of this effect is the stability of amides. Here, the nitrogen's lone pair electrons can delocalize to the carbonyl carbon, creating resonance structures that essentially distribute the positive charge and reduce the electrophilic character of the carbonyl carbon, rendering the amide less reactive towards nucleophilic attack.
However, certain substituents on aromatic rings, like electron-donating groups, can increase the reactivity towards electrophilic attack by increasing the electron density on the aromatic ring. While this fact seems to oppose the principle of resonance stabilization reducing reactivity, it actually supports a narrower interpretation: stabilization affects specific types of reactivity, depending on the context and nature of the substituents and the compound in question.