Phenol reaction: choose your answer

Answer: A — 2, 4, 6-tribromophenol. This is the standard textbook bromine-water reaction: a white precipitate forms. The phenolic –OH group activates the ring and directs substitution to the ortho and para positions; the –OH group is retained.

C₆H₅OH + 3 Br₂ → C₆H₂Br₃OH + 3 HBr.

B and C name only one bromine substitution. D loses the –OH group and is not this reaction’s product. Do not generalize the result to every solvent or bromine quantity: the nonpolar-solvent, low-temperature textbook contrast gives monobromination. The original stem specifies bromine water at room temperature, not the amount added; the answer uses that standard textbook treatment. This is not a claim of three simultaneous substitutions in one elementary step.

Exact-version September 23 group: 16 correct, 6 wrong, 3 skips. Wrong among non-skipped answers: 6/22 (27.3%). A 16/B 2/C 3/D 1; skips 3. Four UNKNOWN-version responses are excluded from this group. Choices do not establish an individual misconception.

Source: NCERT, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, printed 212

Counts account for merged accounts. Snapshot frozen September 24 08:24 IST. Accounts are not verified people; late arrivals may change counts; answer language is UNKNOWN.

The original stem and options are retained; this reviewed explanation does not claim a production-app update.

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