Phenols are more acidic than alcohols because

Options

A. phenols are more soluble in water than alcohols are.
B. the phenoxide ion is stabilized by resona-nce but resonance is not possible in the alkoxide ion.
C. resonance stabilization in the phenoxide ion is greater than that in the alkoxide ion.
D. phenol are stabilized by resonance but alcohol are not.

Answer

B

Explanation

Resonance is not possible in alcohols `(ROH)` as well as alkoxide ions. Moreover, with alcoholes, there is no such factor stabilizing the alkoxide anion `(RO^(-))` relative to the alcohols itself. Resonance is possible both in the phenols and phenoxide ions but phenoxide ions are more effeictively resonance stabilized than corresponding pehnols.