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+ Solubility
+ Chemistry
+ Phenol
+ Organic chemistry
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Larry Stenger

Is phenol soluble in water?

Davis Appleton  Follow

Phenol is soluble in water to some extent. It is due to its ability to form hydrogen bonding with water molecules. However the large part of phenol molecule is phenyl group that is non polar and hence its solubility if limited in water. However the polarity of this part too increases in phenoxide ion.

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David Dowler  Follow

Yes ‚ phenol is soluble in water to some extent. It is due to its ability to form hydrogen bonding with water molecules. However the large part of phenol molecule is phenyl group i. e. non -polar & hence its solubility if limited in water.

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Armand Welsh  Follow

Phenol is more acidic than water because of losing an H+ ion, it forms a phenoxide ion which is stabilized by resonance, while if water loses H+, it forms hydroxide, which is not stabilized by resonance.

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David Filmer  Follow

You must research this!! Phenol has a complicated solubility phase diagram with water. At both low and high temperatures they are completely miscible and at intermediate temps they separate out.

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Daniel Silvers  Follow

phenol is a benzene ring with a hydroxil -OH attached, it disolves in water acting ss an ácid: BzOH+H2O <-> BzO(-) + H3O(+)

the thing is that the phenoxide BzO(-) is very stable as it is able to delocate its negative charge.

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Anita Handa-Corrigan  Follow

Phenol is aromatic hydroxy compound,it contains phenolic OH group as a functional group.

Hydroxyl group is polar in nature,oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen,hence it attracts shared electrons and acquires partial negative charge.

Hydrogen of OH group in phenol carries partial positive charge.Water is polar solvent,hence phenol forms hydrogen bonding with water,thus soluble in water.Sodium salt of phenol is even more soluble.

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Daniel Lynge  Follow

Phenols and alcohol both form hydrogen bonds with water and hence are soluble in water.

However, the solubility of phenols is much lower than that of alcohols due to the presence of the larger hydrocarbon part (benzene ring).

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Billy Baldwin  Follow

Phenol is insoluble in cold water and miscible with hot water

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