what happens when phenol is treated with zinc dust ?
Answers
Answered by
47
When phenol is heated with zn dust reduction of phenol occurs and it gets converted into Benzene with ZnO as a by-product.
Here's the reaction:
Phenol+Zn⟶Benzene+ZnO
And here's the detailed mechanism;
Zn shows an oxidation state of +2.
The phenol gets converted into phenoxide ion and proton thus released accepts an electron from Zn forming H radical.
Also because of the heating there is homolytic fission of C of phenyl ring and O-
The O- thus formed accepts an electron from Zn and forms oxide ion.
In this way zinc forms zinc oxide and phenyl radical thus produced forms a bond with H radical.
However, the yield of this reaction used for benzene formation is lower.
Here's the reaction:
Phenol+Zn⟶Benzene+ZnO
And here's the detailed mechanism;
Zn shows an oxidation state of +2.
The phenol gets converted into phenoxide ion and proton thus released accepts an electron from Zn forming H radical.
Also because of the heating there is homolytic fission of C of phenyl ring and O-
The O- thus formed accepts an electron from Zn and forms oxide ion.
In this way zinc forms zinc oxide and phenyl radical thus produced forms a bond with H radical.
However, the yield of this reaction used for benzene formation is lower.
Answered by
26
Answer : When phenol is treated with zinc dust then the benzene is formed.
Explanation :
When phenol on distillation over zinc dust results in the removal of the hydroxy group an forms benzene.
This reaction is a reduction reaction. The zinc dust reduces the phenol into benzene.
The given reduction reaction is shown below.
Attachments:
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