Assertion : Picric acid is a strong acid inspite of the absence of the carboxyl group.
Reason : The three `-NO_(2)` groups in picric acid activate the phenate 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.

Explanation

To solve the question regarding the assertion and reason about picric acid, we will analyze both statements step by step.

### Step 1: Understanding Picric Acid
Picric acid, also known as 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, has the following structure:

- It contains a hydroxyl group (-OH).
- It has three nitro groups (-NO₂) attached to the aromatic ring.

### Step 2: Assertion Analysis
**Assertion:** "Picric acid is a strong acid in spite of the absence of the carboxyl group."

- **Explanation:** The acidity of a compound is often determined by the stability of its conjugate base. In the case of picric acid, when it donates a proton (H⁺), it forms a phenate ion. The presence of three nitro groups significantly stabilizes this phenate ion through their electron-withdrawing effects.

### Step 3: Conjugate Base Formation
- When picric acid loses a proton, the conjugate base (phenate ion) can be represented as:

\[ \text{C}_6\text{H}_2(\text{NO}_2)_3\text{O}^- \]

- The three nitro groups exert a strong -M (minus mesomeric) effect and -I (minus inductive) effect, which stabilize the negative charge on the oxygen atom of the phenate ion.

### Step 4: Stability of the Conjugate Base
- The stabilization of the conjugate base leads to increased acidity. Therefore, even in the absence of a carboxyl group, picric acid remains a strong acid due to the stabilization provided by the nitro groups.

### Step 5: Reason Analysis
**Reason:** "The three -NO₂ groups in picric acid activate the phenate ion."

- **Explanation:** This statement is incorrect. The nitro groups are actually deactivating groups for electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions because they withdraw electron density from the aromatic ring. They do not activate the phenate ion; rather, they stabilize the negative charge on the phenate ion, which contributes to the acidity of picric acid.

### Conclusion
- **Assertion:** True (Picric acid is a strong acid due to the stabilization of its conjugate base).
- **Reason:** False (The nitro groups do not activate the phenate ion; they are deactivating groups).

Thus, the correct option is that the assertion is true, but the reason is false.

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