Why Para Nitrophenol Is More Acidic?

Answer : Para-nitrophenol is more acidic than phenol due to the presence of an electron withdrawing group, -NO2 group, which enhances the acidic strength

acidic strength
The strength of an acid varies from solvent to solvent. An acid which is strong in water may be weak in a less basic solvent, and an acid which is weak in water may be strong in a more basic solvent. According to Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, the solvent S can accept a proton. , which is more acidic than water.
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of the compound by stabilizing the phenoxide ion and the ortho- and para-positions in the benzene ring becomes electron rich.

Why para nitrophenol is more acidic than Ortho Nitrophenol?

An inductive effect is an electronic effect due to the polarisation of σ bonds within a molecule or ion. ... Thus, ortho and para-nitrophenols are more acidic than m-nitrophenol is a little less acidic than p-nitrophenol because of intramolecular hydrogen bonding which makes the loss of a proton difficult to remove.

Why para nitrophenol is most acidic?

So, the electron density in the O-H bond of p-nitrophenol decreases relative to the O-H bond of phenol. The decrease in electron density of the O-H bond of p-nitrophenol, the polarity of O-H bond is decreases and in turn make it more acidic than phenol.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

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Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.