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Topic: Acidity II  (Read 4725 times)

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Offline AhmedEzatAlzawalaty

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Acidity II
« on: March 24, 2007, 07:55:59 AM »
which is more acidic:p-nitrobenzoic acid or phthalic acid
and which is more acidic 3-nitrophenol or 4-nitrophenol?

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Acidity II
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2007, 01:07:19 PM »
Draw the resonance structures of each deprotonated acid.  Does the extra group stabilize the negative charge or destabilize it?

Offline Ahmed Abdullah

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Re: Acidity II
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2007, 07:37:08 AM »
I think  3-nitrophenol is more acidic than 4-nitrophenol. Nitro radical is a deactivating agent, Since in 3-nitrophenol NO2 is attached to electron rich para site it will able to stabilize the conjugate base more than being at ortho position(which is deficient in electron cloud).

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Acidity II
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2007, 02:47:12 AM »
You are correct that a nitro group is a deactivating agent.  If you draw out the resonance structures, you will see that the nitro group deactivates (i.e. draws electron density away from) the ortho- and para- positions more than the meta-positions.  Therefore, a nitro group would stabilize a negative charge at the ortho- or para- positions more than it would stabilize a negative charge at the meta- position.  Therefore, 4-nitrophenol (i.e. para-nitrophenol) is more acidic because the acidic OH group is para to the nitro group, whereas the nitro is meta to the nitro group in 3-nitrophenol (i.e. meta-nitrophenol)

Offline Ahmed Abdullah

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Re: Acidity II
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2007, 09:30:23 AM »
Sorry, I meant para-nitrophenol by 3-nitrophenol accidently.

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