See image — GOC and Organic Chemistry Basics Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

# Acidic Strength Order Analysis **Identify the functional groups:** - **(X)**: Salicylic acid (ortho-hydroxybenzoic acid) — carboxylic acid - **(Y)**: Meta-hydroxyacetophenone — phenol with electron-withdrawing ketone - **(Z)**: Para-hydroxyacetophenone — phenol with electron-withdrawing acetyl group - **(W)**: Para-chlorophenol — phenol with electron-withdrawing chlorine **Apply acidity principles:** **Carboxylic acids > Phenols** (by ~10¹⁵ orders of magnitude) - X is a carboxylic acid → strongest acid **Among phenols, electron-withdrawing groups increase acidity:** - **Z and W** (para-substituted) are more acidic than **Y** (meta-substituted) - Para-position is more effective for inductive withdrawal **Order of phenolic acidity:** $\text{Acetyl} > \text{Cl}$ (both activate via inductive effect) - **Z > W** because the carbonyl group ($-C(=O)CH_3$) is strongly electron-withdrawing compared to $-Cl$ - **W > Y** because para-positioning is more stabilizing for the conjugate base than meta-positioning **Final order:** $$X > Z > W > Y$$ **Answer: (B)**