Question

Assertion: Phenols are more acidic than aliphatic alcohols.

Reason: Phenoxides are stabilized by resonance.

• A. Both Assertion and Reason are false.
• B. Assertion is true, but Reason is false.
• C. Both Assertion and Reason are true. The reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.
• D. Both Assertion and Reason are true. The reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion.

Answer 1

The correct option is C

Both Assertion and Reason are true. The reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.

The explanation for the Assertion statement

• Phenols are more acidic than aliphatic alcohols.
• When a proton is lost, a phenoxide is generated, which is more stable than the corresponding phenol.
• The negative charge is delocalized inside the ring structure of the phenoxide ion, making it more stable than aliphatic alcohols.
• The delocalization stabilization does not exist in aliphatic alcohols.

The explanation for the Reason statement

• The phenols are more acidic due to the formation of stable phenoxide ions.
• The phenoxide ion stabilized due to resonance.
• No resonance occurs when aliphatic alcohol loses one of its protons to become an alkoxide
• Unlike an alkoxide ion, the phenoxide ion's negative charge is not focused on the oxygen atom.
• As a result, phenols have a higher acidity than alcohol.

Therefore, the correct option is (C) Both Assertion and Reason are true. The reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.