Phenols are more acidic than alcohols because

Options

A. phenoxide ion is stabilized by resonance
B. phenols are more soluble in polar solvents
C. phenoxide ions do not exhibit resonance
D. alcohols do not lose `H` atoms at all

Answer

A

Explanation

Three out of five resonating structures for phenol carry both positive and negative charge while all the resonating structures for phenoxide ion carry only a negative charge, Since energy must be supplied to secparte oppsite charges. Tge structyres for the phenol should contain more energy and hence be less stabe than be the structures or phenoxide ion.
Thus the net effect if resonance us ti stabilize the phenoxide ionn to a greater extent than the phenol. This shifts the equilibrium towards ionization and makes `K_(a)` larger than for an alcohol.

In short we can say that the ionization constant of phenol is higher than that of ethanol because phenoxide ion is tabilized through delocalisation.