Which of the following is the product formed when phenol is treated with dilute nitric acid ?

Options

A. o-Nitrophenol
B. p-Nitrophenol
C. 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol
D. Both (1) and (2)

Answer

To determine the product formed when phenol is treated with dilute nitric acid, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- The reactant in this case is phenol (C6H5OH) and dilute nitric acid (HNO3).

2. **Understand the Reaction Type**:
- The reaction between phenol and nitric acid is an electrophilic substitution reaction. In this case, the hydroxyl group (-OH) on phenol is an activating group that directs electrophilic substitution to the ortho and para positions of the aromatic ring.

3. **Determine the Electrophile**:
- The electrophile in this reaction is the nitronium ion (NO2+), which is generated from nitric acid.

4. **Identify Possible Products**:
- When phenol reacts with dilute nitric acid, it can undergo nitration at two positions: the ortho position and the para position relative to the hydroxyl group.
- The products formed are:
- Ortho-nitrophenol (where the NO2 group is at the ortho position)
- Para-nitrophenol (where the NO2 group is at the para position)

5. **Consider the Major and Minor Products**:
- In the case of dilute nitric acid, both ortho and para products are formed, but the ortho product is typically formed in lesser quantity compared to the para product due to steric hindrance.

6. **Final Products**:
- The main products when phenol is treated with dilute nitric acid are:
- Ortho-nitrophenol (2-nitrophenol)
- Para-nitrophenol (4-nitrophenol)

### Conclusion:
The products formed when phenol is treated with dilute nitric acid are ortho-nitrophenol and para-nitrophenol. Therefore, the correct answer is that both ortho and para products are formed.