Question

Assertion: Phenols are more acidic than aliphatic alcohols.

Reason: Phenoxide ion is stabilised by resonance but alkoxide ion is not stabilised by resonance.

Options

• Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.

• Both Assertion and Reason are true but Reason is not the correct explanation for Assertion.

• Assertion is true and Reason is false.

• Both Assertion and Reason are false.

Answer 1

Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.

Explanation:

Phenol is more acidic because deprotonation gives the phenoxide ion, whose negative charge is delocalized (resonance-stabilised) into the aromatic ring. An alkoxide ion lacks this resonance and has the negative charge localised on oxygen, so it is less stabilised, and its parent alcohol is less acidic.