What is the primary reason for the stability of phenol compared to cyclohexanol?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the primary reason for the stability of phenol compared to cyclohexanol?
Inductive effect
Mesomeric effect
Steric hindrance
Hydrogen bonding
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the primary reason for the stability of phenol compared to cyclohexanol?
Step 1: Understand what phenol and cyclohexanol are. Phenol has a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to a benzene ring, while cyclohexanol has a hydroxyl group attached to a cyclohexane ring.
Step 2: Learn about resonance. Resonance is a way to describe how electrons are distributed in a molecule, allowing for more stability.
Step 3: Recognize that in phenol, the electrons from the -OH group can spread out over the benzene ring. This spreading out of electrons is called resonance stabilization.
Step 4: Note that cyclohexanol does not have a benzene ring, so it cannot have this resonance effect. The -OH group in cyclohexanol does not stabilize the molecule as effectively.
Step 5: Conclude that the primary reason phenol is more stable than cyclohexanol is due to the resonance stabilization present in phenol, which is absent in cyclohexanol.
