Phenol

Question 1

how acidic is phenol compared to alcohols and carboxylic acids

Answer 1

more acidic than alcohols
less acidic than carboxylic acids

Question 2

why are phenols less soluble in water than alcohols

Answer 2

because of the presence of the non-polar benzene ring

Question 3

why are phenols weak acids

Answer 3

when dissolved in water phenol partially dissociates forming a phenoxide ion and a proton

Question 4

can phenol react with strong bases and weak bases

Answer 4

phenols are only able to react with strong bases because they are weak acids

Question 5

reactivity of phenol in comparison to benzene

Answer 5

reactions of phenol take place under milder conditions and more readily than the reactions of benzene

Question 6

bromination of phenol

Answer 6

phenol reacts with bromine water to form 2,4,6-tribromophenol without the use of a halogen carrier

Question 7

nitration of phenol

Answer 7

phenol reacts readily with dilute nitric acid at room temperature to form a mixture of 2 and 4 nitrophenol

Question 8

why is phenol more reactive than benzene

Answer 8

the lone pair of electrons from the oxygen p orbital of the - OH group is delocalised into the electron ring which gain a higher electron density