Question

How come ortho cresol and benzyl alcohol are distingush?

Answer 1

cresol, the [math]OH^-[/math] group is directly attached to the benzene ring while in benzyl alcohol, [math]-OH[/math] group is attached to [math]-CH_2C_6H_5[/math]. Hence, it is not directly linked with benzene ring. Due to resonance with benzene ring, the properties of cresol deviate from standard alcohol but still it is not a functional isomer.

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