Question

How many of the following compounds are more acidic in nature as compared to benzoic acid?
$p$-Methoxybenzoic acid, ethanol, $p$-nitrobenzoic acid, phenol, sulphuric acid, picric acid, $p$-chlorobenzoic acid.

Answer 1

Answer: 4

Carboxylic acids are highly acidic as compared to alcohols and phenols. However, their acidity is lower than that of mineral acids. In aromatic acids, the presence of electron withdrawing substituents (like $-N{O}_2,-Cl$ ) increase the acidity. Thus, p-nitrobenzoic acid, sulphuric acid, picric acid, $p$-chlorobenzoic acid are more acidic than benzoic acid.