Step 1: Understanding the Acidity of Carboxylic Acids vs. Phenols
- Carboxylic acids ( ) are more acidic than phenols ( ) because they have a lower pKa.
- The carboxylate ion ( ) formed after deprotonation is highly stabilized by resonance.
Step 2: Resonance and Stability Comparison
- Carboxylate ion ( ):
- Resonance structures are equivalent.
- The negative charge is delocalized equally between two oxygen atoms, making the carboxylate ion highly stable. - Phenoxide ion ( ):
- Resonance is not equivalent.
- The negative charge is not equally delocalized across the oxygen and the benzene ring.
- Oxygen retains a significant part of the negative charge, making it less stable than the carboxylate ion.
Step 3: Conclusion
- Since carboxylate ion is more stable than phenoxide ion, carboxylic acids are more acidic than phenols.
- The given reason correctly explains this fact.
Thus, the correct answer is: Option (1): Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)