Which of the following statements correctly describe the fundamental structural features and chemica — Alcohols Phenols and Ethers Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

In phenols, the $-OH$ is on an $sp^2$ aromatic carbon. The oxygen's lone pair participates in resonance with the pi system of the ring, giving the $C-O$ bond partial double bond character and stabilizing the phenoxide ion (enhancing acidity). Because of this partial double bond character, the $C-O$ bond is very difficult to break via nucleophilic substitution, making statement D incorrect.