🍷Alcohol vs Phenol🧫
Alcohols and phenols both carry a hydroxyl group, but where that OH attaches changes their acidity dramatically.
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🍷Alcohol
- ✓Hydroxyl OH on an sp3 carbon
- ✓Very weakly acidic, nearly neutral
- ✓Does not react with NaOH
- ✓Can be oxidized to aldehydes or acids
- ✓Examples: ethanol, methanol, propanol
🧫Phenol
- ✓Hydroxyl OH bonded to a benzene ring
- ✓Significantly more acidic than alcohols
- ✓Reacts with NaOH to form salts
- ✓Ring stabilizes the negative charge
- ✓Examples: phenol, cresol, catechol
Verdict
Both have an OH group, but phenols are far more acidic because the benzene ring stabilizes the resulting anion. Only phenols react with sodium hydroxide.
Frequently asked
Why are phenols more acidic than alcohols?+
The aromatic ring delocalizes the negative charge of the phenoxide anion, stabilizing it.
Do alcohols react with NaOH?+
No. Alcohols are too weakly acidic, while phenols do react with sodium hydroxide.
What do they have in common?+
Both contain a hydroxyl OH functional group attached to carbon.
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