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why do phenols have more boiling point than alcohals of comparable molecular mass

why do phenols have more boiling point than alcohals of comparable molecular mass

Grade:Upto college level

2 Answers

Aarti Gupta
askIITians Faculty 300 Points
9 years ago
Phenol are the class of organic compounds which are characterized by a hydroxyl (−OH) group attached to a carbon atom which is part of an aromatic ring.Alcohols also contain -OH group but -OH group is attached to aliphatic ring.Although phenols are similar to alcohols but form stronger hydrogen bonds than alcohols of comparable molecular mass.Thus, they are more soluble in water than alcohols and have higher boiling points than alcohols.
Nandakumar UK
37 Points
9 years ago
Unlike in alcohols, the -OH group is attached to an sp^2 hybrid carbon in phenols which is more electronegative than an sp^3 hybrid carbon in alcohols; this makes -O-H bond more polar and maked hydrogen bonding more effective. 

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