Why is acetic acid stronger than phenol?

From what I've seen, Why is acetic acid stronger than phenol? In-depth analysis of its differences

in chemistry, many organic acids and phenolic compounds are broadly studied and applied due to their different acidity. Among them, acetic acid and phenol, as two common chemical substances, while both have acidity, their differences in acidic strength have attracted the attention of many chemical professionals. Why is acetic acid stronger than phenol? In this paper, we will discuss its molecular structure, acidic characteristics and ionization mechanism in detail. Moreover MOLECULAR STRUCTURE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACETIC ACID AND PHENOL

Acetic acid (CHYCOOH) is a simple carboxylic acid, while phenol (CCYHHY-OH) is an aromatic compound containing a hydroxyl group. But From what I've seen, According to research Acetic acid molecules contain carboxyl groups (-COOH), while phenol molecules contain phenolic hydroxyl groups (-OH). The structural difference between the two immediately affects their acidity. The carboxyl group of acetic acid has strong electronegativity and is able to emit hydrogen ion (H) greater efficiently. And The resonance effect between the hydroxyl group and the aromatic ring in phenol limits the emit of hydrogen ions. Thus, one of the reasons that acetic acid is stronger than phenol is because the structure of the acetic acid molecule makes it easier to ionize hydrogen ions. Acidic Strength Differences: Dissociation Constants (pKa) Comparison

To understand why acetic acids are stronger than phenols, we need to gain insight into their acidic strength. The strength of the acidity is usually measured by the dissociation constant (pKa value) of the acid. In particular The smaller the pKa value, the greater acidic. Acetic acid has a pKa of approximately

4. 76, while phenol has a pKa of

9.

95. In fact Acetic acid with a reduced pKa value indicates that it dissociates hydrogen ions greater readily in aqueous solution and is therefore greater acidic. due to its high pKa value, phenol shows that its ability to dissociate hydrogen ions is weak, and its acidity is naturally weaker than acetic acid. Ionization Mechanism: Ionization Difference

Acetic acid and phenol also behave differently upon ionization. Acetic acid forms acetate ion (CHelevated COO) and hydrogen ion (H +) by releasing hydrogen ions, while phenol forms phenolate ion (C≡H +) and hydrogen ion (H +) by releasing hydrogen ions. Since the carboxyl group of acetic acid has a strong electron attraction effect, it's able to better stabilize the dissociated acetate ions, thereby promoting the ionization of the acid. The resonance effect of phenolic hydroxyl and aromatic ring in phenol makes the phenolic ion greater difficult to stabilize, resulting in its weak acidity. This also explains why acetic acid is stronger than phenol from another perspective. Pretty interesting, huh?. But Based on my observations, Summary

From the above points, it's able to be seen that the reason why acetic acid is stronger than phenol is mainly due to the differences in molecular structure, dissociation constant and ionization mechanism. The structure of acetic acid makes it easier to emit hydrogen ions, and its ionized ions are greater stable, which makes acetic acid greater acidic than phenol. Through these analyses, we is able to greater clearly understand the chemical phenomenon why acetic acid is stronger than phenol.