Assertion: Cresols are less acidic than phenol.
Reason: Electron releasing grops do not favour the formation of phenxide ion.

Options

A. if both assertioon and reason are true and reason is the corrct explanation of assertion.
B. If both assertion and reason are ture but reason is not the corrcet explanation of assertion.
C. If assertion is true but reason is false .
D. if both assertion and reason are false.

Answer

To solve the question regarding the assertion and reason about the acidity of cresols compared to phenol, we can break down the solution into clear steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Compounds**:
- **Cresols** are methyl-substituted phenols. The structure of cresol includes a benzene ring with one hydroxyl group (-OH) and one methyl group (-CH3).
- **Phenol** is a simple aromatic compound with a hydroxyl group attached directly to a benzene ring.

2. **Acidity Concept**:
- The acidity of a compound is often determined by the stability of its conjugate base. The more stable the conjugate base, the stronger the acid.

3. **Formation of Conjugate Bases**:
- When phenol loses a proton (H+), it forms the phenoxide ion (C6H5O⁻).
- When cresol loses a proton, it forms the cresoxide ion (C6H4(CH3)O⁻).

4. **Analyzing the Conjugate Bases**:
- The phenoxide ion (C6H5O⁻) is stabilized by the resonance of the negative charge over the aromatic ring.
- The cresoxide ion (C6H4(CH3)O⁻) also has resonance, but the presence of the methyl group (-CH3) is an electron-donating group.

5. **Effect of Electron-Donating Groups**:
- The methyl group increases the electron density on the cresoxide ion due to its +I (inductive) effect. This destabilizes the negative charge on the oxygen, making the cresoxide ion less stable than the phenoxide ion.

6. **Conclusion on Acidity**:
- Since the conjugate base of phenol (phenoxide ion) is more stable than that of cresol (cresoxide ion), phenol is more acidic than cresol. Therefore, the assertion that "cresols are less acidic than phenol" is correct.

7. **Evaluating the Reason**:
- The reason states that "electron releasing groups do not favor the formation of phenoxide ion." This is also true because the electron-donating groups destabilize the conjugate base by increasing electron density.

8. **Final Assessment**:
- Both the assertion and the reason are correct, and the reason correctly explains the assertion.

### Final Answer:
- **Assertion**: Cresols are less acidic than phenol. (True)
- **Reason**: Electron releasing groups do not favor the formation of phenoxide ion. (True)