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Acidity of Phenols

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CONTENTS

  • RESONANCE STRUCTURES OF PHENOL AND PHENOXIDE
  • EFFECT OF SUBSTITUENTS ON ACIDITY OF PHENOL
  • QUALITATIVE TESTS FOR PHENOLS
  • STRUCTURE AND USES OF PHENOL, CRESOLS, RESORCINOL, NAPHTHOLS

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

AT THE END OF THIS LECTURE ,THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO

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  • EXPLAIN THE ACIDITY OF PHENOLS AND FACTORS THAT AFFECTS ITS ACIDITY
  • DISCUSS THE QUALITATIVE TESTS AND STRUCTURE AND USES OF PHENOL, CRESOLS, RESORCINOL, NAPHTHOLS

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PHENOL

  • PHENOL IS ACIDIC
  • IT CAN DONATE HYDROGEN AS PROTON
  • STRONGER ACID THAN WATER
  • WEAKER ACID THAN CARBOXYLIC ACID
  • STRONGER THAN ALCOHOL

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ACIDITY OF PHENOL

  • DIFFERENCE IN RESONANCE STABILIZATION OF PHENOL AND PHENOXIDE ION
  • RESONANCE STRUCTURES OF PHENOL
  • RESONACE STRUCTURES OF PHENOXIDE ION
  • COMPARISON OF RESONANCE STRUCTURES

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EFFECT OF SUBSTITUENTS ON ACIDITY OF PHENOL

  • ACIDITY OF PHENOL IS DETERMINED BY STABILITY OF PHENOXIDE ION
  • ELECTRON WITHDRAWING GROUPS DISPERSES THE CHARGE OF PHENOXIDE ION
  • ELECTRON DONATING GROUPS INTENSIFIES THE NEGATIVE CHARGE OF PHENOXIDE ION
  • CHLOROPHENOL IS MORE ACIDIC THAN PHENOL

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QUALITATIVE TESTS

  • ACTION WITH SODIUM HYDRODIDE
  • LIEBERMANN’S REACTION
  • PHTHALEIN TEST
  • AZO DYE FORMATION
  • SCOTTEN BAUMANN REACTION
  • PHENOL DISSOLVES IN SODIUM HYDROXIDE

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QUALITATIVE TESTS

Experiment

Observation

Inference

To one drop of dilute solution of phenol , a few drops of neutral ferric chloride solition are added

Violet colour

Presence of phenolic group

Chemical equation

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Liebermann’s reaction : To two drops of melted phenol, added little solid sodium nitrite. Cooled and added 4 drops of concentrated sulphuric acid . Diluted causiously with water

A deep red solution is obtained which turned green or blue with excess of alkali

Characteristic reactions of phenol

Chemical equation

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QUALITATIVE TESTS CONTD...

Experiment

Observation

Inference

Phthalein test: About 2 drops of melted phenol is mixed with a small quantity of phthalic anhydride in a dry test tube. 2 drops of concentrated sulphuric acid are added. The mixture is heated at about 150ο C for two minutes. Cooled and excess of 10 % sodium hydroxide solution is added

Pink solution

Due to formation of phenolphthalein

Chemical equation

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Azo-dye formation: Dissolved two drops of aniline in 1 ml of dilute hydrochloric acid and well cooled in ice. A few drops of saturated sodium nitrite solution are added . The diazonium solution thus obtained is added to a well cooled solution of phenol in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution

A red colour

Formation of azo dye

Chemical equation

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QUALITATIVE TESTS CONTD...

Experiment

Observation

Inference

Scotten-Baumann reaction : Dissolved about 0.25g of phenol in about 5 ml of 10 % sodium hydroxide solution contained in a boiling tube. About 1 ml of benzoyl chloride is added . The boiling tube is corked and shaken vigorously for about 15 minutes

A white precipitate is formed

Formation of phenyl benzoate

Chemical equation

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STRUCTURE AND USES OF PHENOL

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  • PHENOLS ARE WIDELY USED IN HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS AND AS INTERMEDIATES FOR INDUSTRIAL SYNTHESIS 
  • USED (IN LOW CONCENTRATIONS) AS A DISINFECTANT IN HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS AND IN MOUTHWASH

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STRUCTURE AND USES CRESOLS

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  • DIFFERENT ISOMERS ARE PRESENT
  • ANTIBACTERIAL AND INSECTICIDAL PROPERTIES

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STRUCTURE AND USES OF RESORCINOL

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  • TO TREAT ACNE, SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS, ECZEMA, PSORIASIS, AND OTHER SKIN DISORDERS
  • TO TREAT CORNS AND WARTS
  • RESORCINOL WORKS BY HELPING TO REMOVE HARD, SCALY, OR ROUGHENED SKIN

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STRUCTURE AND USES OF NAPHTHOLS

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  • 2-NAPHTHOL IS A WIDELY USED AS INTERMEDIATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DYES AND OTHER COMPOUNDS

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SUMMARY

  • ACIDITY OF PHENOL IS EXPLAINED BY DIFFERENCE IN THE RESONANCE STABILIZATION OF PHENOL AND PHENOXIDE ION
  • ELECTRON WITHDRAWING GROUPS INCREASES THE ACIDITY OF PHENOL
  • ELECTRON DONATING GROUPS DECREASES' THE ACIDITY OF PHENOL
  • LIEBERMANN’S REACTION AND PHTHALEIN TEST ARE CHARACTERISTIC REACTIONS OF PHENOL
  • PHENOL IS USED (IN LOW CONCENTRATIONS) AS A DISINFECTANT IN HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS AND IN MOUTHWASH

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SUMMARY CONTD...

  • CRESOL HAS ANTIBACTERIAL AND INSECTICIDAL PROPERTIES
  • RESORCINOL IS USED TO TREAT ACNE, SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS, ECZEMA, PSORIASIS, AND OTHER SKIN DISORDERS
  • 2-NAPHTHOL IS A WIDELY USED AS INTERMEDIATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DYES AND OTHER COMPOUNDS

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