WM - Phenols Flashcards
What family are phenols a member of?
Alcohol family.
What do phenols have?
Benzene rings with -OH groups attached.
What is the formula of phenol?
C6H5OH.
How do you the number carbons in phenols?
Starting from the one with the -OH group.
What do you use to test for phenols?
Iron(III) chloride solution.
What does Iron(III) chloride solution test for?
Phenols.
What happens if you add a phenol to neutral iron(III) chloride solution and shake?
You get a purple solution.
What is a positive test for phenols?
A purple solution when shaken with neutral iron(III) chloride solution.
What are phenols?
Weak acids.
What do phenols react with?
Strong alkalis and acid anhydrides.
What do phenols do in water?
Dissolve a little but to form a phenoxide ion and an H+ ion - so form a weakly acidic solution.
What do phenols form when they react with alkalis?
A salt and water.
Why don’t phenols react with carbonate solutions?
Because sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is not a strong enough base to remove the hydrogen ion from a phenol.
What is a good way to tell phenols apart from carboxylic acids?
Carboxylic acids react with alkalis and carbonate (giving off CO2 gas) but phenols do not react with carbonates.
What is formed when phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature?
Sodium phenoxide and water.
What happens when phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature?
Sodium phenoxide and water are formed.
The hydrogen ion on the phenol is removed by the -OH ion.
Both phenols and alcohols can react with acid anhydrides to form what?
An ester and a carboxylic acid.
What reacts with phenols to form esters?
Acid anhydrides.
What can both alcohols and phenols react with?
Acid anhydrides.
Unlike alcohols, what can’t phenols react with?
Carboxylic acids to form an ester.
Unlike alcohols, what can’t phenols react with to form an ester?
Carboxylic acids.
Unlike alcohols, what can’t phenols react with carboxylic acids to form?
An ester.
What is a good way to test whether a substance is a phenol or a different alcohol?
Test whether is reacts with a carboxylic acid to form an ester as phenols cannot do this but other alcohols can.
What functional groups does salicylic acid have?
The phenol and carboxylic acid functional groups.
What colour does the neutral iron(III) chloride turn when these is a positive test for a phenol?
Purple
