Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Give a simple chemical test to distinguish between the following pair of compounds:
Phenol and Benzoic acid
Advertisements
Solution 1
Phenol and benzoic acid can be distinguished by ferric chloride test. In the ferric chloride test, phenol reacts with neutral FeCl3 to make an iron-phenol complex that turns violet.
\[\ce{\underset{Phenol}{6C6H5OH} + FeCl3 -> \underset{(Violet colour)}{\underset{Iron-phenol complex}{[Fe(OC6H5)6]^3-}} + 3H+ + 3Cl-}\]
But benzoic acid reacts with neutral FeCl3 to give a buff coloured ppt. of ferric benzoate.
\[\ce{\underset{Benzoic acid}{3C6H5OH} + FeCl3 ->\underset{(Buff coloured ppt)}{\underset{Ferric benzoate}{(C6H5COO)3Fe}} + 3HCl}\]
Solution 2
Benzoic acid reacts with NaHCO3 to release CO2 gas with effervescence, whereas phenol does not.

Phenol Br2 decolourises water to give white precipitate but does not give benzoic acid.

APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
A and B are two functional isomers of compound C3H6O.On heating with NaOH and I2, isomer B forms yellow precipitate of iodoform whereas isomer A does not form any precipitate. Write the formulae of A and B.
Predict the products of the following reactions :

How will you convert ethanal into the following compound?
But-2-enoic acid
Which of the following compounds will give butanone on oxidation with alkaline \[\ce{KMnO4}\] solution?
Acetone and acetaldehyde are differentiated by
Fehilng's test is positive for
Ammonical silver nitrate solution is called
Write chemical test to distinguish between the following compounds:
Phenol and Benzoic acid
What is the composition of Fehling's reagent?
The correct set of products obtained in the following reactions:
- \[\ce{RCN ->[reduction]}\]
- \[\ce{RCN ->[(i) CH3MgBr][(ii) H2O]}\]
- \[\ce{RNC ->[hydrolysis]}\]
- \[\ce{RNH2 ->[HNO2]}\]
Choose the reaction which is not possible:
The reagent that can be used to distinguish acetophenone and benzophenone is ______.
An organic compound 'A' with molecular formula C5H8O2 is reduced to n-pentane with hydrazine followed by heating with NaOH and glycol. 'A' forms a dioxime with hydroxylamine and gives a positive iodoform and Tollen's test. Identify 'A' and give its reaction for iodoform and Tollen's test.
An organic compound 'A' with the molecular formula C4H8O2 undergoes acid hydrolysis to form two compounds 'B' and 'C'. Oxidation of 'C' with acidified potassium permanganate also produces 'B'. Sodium salt of 'B' on heating with soda lime gives methane.
- Identify 'A', 'B' and 'C'.
- Out of 'B' and 'C', which will have higher boiling point? Give reason.
Benzaldehyde is obtained from Rosenmund’s reduction of:
Match List-I with List-II:
| List-I (Reaction) |
List-II (Reagents/Condition) |
||
| A. | ![]() |
I. | ![]() |
| B. | ![]() |
II. | CrO3 |
| C. | ![]() |
III. | KMnO4/KOH, Δ |
| D. | ![]() |
IV. | (i) O3 (ii) Zn-H2O |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:





