Arrange water, ethanol and phenol in increasing order of acidity and give a reason for your answer.
Arrange water, ethanol and phenol in increasing order of acidity and give a reason for your answer.

Ethanol water phenol ethanol ethanol ethanol ethanol ethanol ethanol ethanol ethanol

Because it forms the phenoxide ion after deprotonation and is stabilized by resonance, phenol is more acidic. Because the ethoxide ion is stabilised by the positive inductive action, ethanol is less acidic. The electron-releasing group in ethanol raises the oxygen density, making deprotonation more difficult. Water is a good proton donor than ethanol.