Question

Phenols unlike alcohol do not react with halogen . why (1 mark) ​

Answer 1

Phenols can't be dehydrated by treatment with acid and can't be converted into halides by treatment with HX .

This is because Phenols do not give protonation reactions readily.

Phenols resemble aryl halides in that the functional group resists displacement. Unlike ROH, phenols do not react with HX,SOCI2,PCl3 to give aryl halides,

These observations are related to shorter and stronger C-O bond in phenols as compared to alcohols and as a result, C-O bond in phenol is “not” cleaved easily.

Also, remember that cleave of C-O bond in alcohols require protonation or similar electrophilic attachment on basic oxygen of alcohol which converts a strongly basic and hence poor leaving group -OH into a better leaving group.