Q.How is phenol obtained from chlorobenzene and benzene diazonium chloride? How phenol reacts with:
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Phenol is made industrially from chlorobenzene (Dow process, NaOH fusion) or from benzenediazonium salts (hydrolysis); it undergoes the Reimer-Tiemann reaction with CHCl3/NaOH and sulphonation with conc. H2SO4.
(A) Preparation of phenol
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From chlorobenzene (Dow's process): chlorobenzene is fused with aqueous NaOH at 623 K under 320 atm pressure, giving sodium phenoxide by nucleophilic substitution:
C6H5Cl + 2NaOH --623K, 320atm--> C6H5ONa + NaCl + H2O
Sodium phenoxide is then acidified (dilute HCl) to liberate phenol:
C6H5ONa + HCl -> C6H5OH + NaCl
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From benzenediazonium chloride: on warming with water (in presence of dilute acid), the diazonium group is hydrolysed and replaced by -OH, releasing nitrogen gas:
C6H5N2+Cl- + H2O --warm--> C6H5OH + N2(up arrow) + HCl
(B) Reactions of phenol
(i) With CHCl3 + NaOH at 340 K (Reimer-Tiemann reaction): NaOH generates dichlorocarbene (:CCl2) from CHCl3, which attacks the phenoxide ring (mainly at the ortho position); after hydrolysis this gives salicylaldehyde (o-hydroxybenzaldehyde) as the major product:
C6H5OH + CHCl3 + 3NaOH --340K--> o-HOC6H4CHO (salicylaldehyde) + 3NaCl + 2H2O
(ii) With conc. H2SO4 at 375 K: electrophilic aromatic sulphonation. At this relatively high temperature the reaction is under thermodynamic control, so the bulkier, more stable para product predominates:
C6H5OH + conc.H2SO4 --375K--> p-HOC6H4SO3H (major) + H2O
OR
(A) Preparation of ethyl alcohol
- From ethene (acid-catalysed hydration, Markovnikov addition of water): ethene with steam over an acid catalyst (dil. H2SO4 or H3PO4), or absorbed in conc. H2SO4 to give ethyl hydrogen sulphate which is then hydrolysed: CH2=CH2 + H2O --H3PO4/H2SO4, heat, pressure--> CH3CH2OH
- From ethyl bromide (nucleophilic substitution/hydrolysis): heated with aqueous KOH; OH- displaces Br-: CH3CH2Br + KOH(aq) --heat--> CH3CH2OH + KBr (B) Conversion of ethyl alcohol …
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