Give two reactions that show the acidic nature of phenol. Compare the acidity of phenol with that of ethanol.

(N/A) The acidic nature of phenol can be demonstrated by the following two reactions:
$(i)$ Phenol reacts with sodium metal to form sodium phenoxide and hydrogen gas:
$C_6H_5OH + Na \rightarrow C_6H_5ONa + \frac{1}{2}H_2 \uparrow$
$(ii)$ Phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide to form sodium phenoxide and water:
$C_6H_5OH + NaOH \rightarrow C_6H_5ONa + H_2O$
Comparison of acidity:
The acidity of phenol is significantly higher than that of ethanol. This is because the phenoxide ion formed after the loss of a proton is stabilized by resonance,where the negative charge is delocalized over the benzene ring. In contrast,the ethoxide ion $(CH_3CH_2O^-)$ formed from ethanol does not undergo resonance stabilization.