What type of reaction occurs when phenol is treated with sodium metal?

What type of reaction occurs when phenol is treated with sodium metal?

Step 1: Understand that phenol is a type of organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to a benzene ring.
Step 2: Recognize that sodium metal is a reactive metal that can participate in chemical reactions.
Step 3: When phenol is treated with sodium metal, a reaction occurs where sodium reacts with the hydroxyl group of phenol.
Step 4: This reaction leads to the formation of sodium phenoxide, which is an intermediate compound.
Step 5: The sodium phenoxide can then react with another phenol molecule in a process called the Wurtz reaction.
Step 6: The Wurtz reaction results in the coupling of two phenol molecules to form biphenyl, which is a compound made of two connected benzene rings.

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