Question:
Arrange the following in decreasing order of their acidic strength and give the reason for your answer.
CH3CH2OH, CH3COOH, ClCH2COOH, FCH2COOH, C6H5CH2COOH
Solution:
FCH2COOH > ClCH2COOH > C6H5CH2COOH > CH3COOH > CH3CH2OH.
CH3CH2OH is least acidic among the given compounds. C6H5CH2COOH is more acidic than CH3COOH due to the resonance in C6H5CH2COOH. FCH2COOH and ClCH2COOH are highly acidic due to the –I effect of halogen.