Question

Phenol is more acidic than alcohol. give reasons.

Answer 1

Phenol is more reactive and acidic than ion because when it reacts its dehydrogenated and forms an ion known as a phenoxide. The phenoxide ion is more stable, that is resonance stabilized. The alcohol which is ethanol, on the other side, forms a less resonance stable hydroxide ion which is known as an ethoxide. The resonance stable phenoxide shifts a reaction forward stabilizing it, hence more hydrogen ions are present in the reaction making it more acidic than in alcohol where the ethoxide ion shifts a reaction more in the backwards direction.