Question

Give two reactions that show the acidic nature of phenol. Compare acidity of phenol with that of ethanol.

Answer 1

The acidic nature of phenol can be represented by the following two reactions:

(i) Phenol reacts with sodium to give sodium phenoxide, liberating H₂.

(ii) Phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide to give sodium phenoxide and water as by-products.

The acidity of phenol is more than that of ethanol. This is because after losing a proton, the phenoxide ion undergoes resonance and gets stabilized whereas ethoxide ion does not.