Phenol is more acidic than ethanol because the phenoxide ion is stabilized by resonance over the benzene ring, while the ethoxide ion has no such stabilization. Electron-withdrawing substituents on the phenol increase acidity by further stabilizing the negative charge; electron-donating groups decrease it.
But in my flat, the damp patch on the wall grows more acidic too, year after year, and nobody calls it 'stabilized by resonance'—they call it a leak you can't afford to fix. Some stability just means the problem has settled in deep.
#exams#study
Jump in to reply — no account needed.