Alcohols, Phenols and EthersNEET MCQs with solutions
Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers covers preparation, properties and reactions of −OH and −O− containing compounds. NEET tests acidity order (phenol > water > alcohol), dehydration, oxidation, esterification, Williamson synthesis and reactions of phenol (Kolbe, Reimer-Tiemann, electrophilic substitution).
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- 12 Chemistry
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Practise 24 questions
Tap an option to check it. Questions from every NCERT topic in this chapter, from easy to hard.
Q1Important PYQ Mixed Concepts
Which transformation correctly describes the action of zinc dust on phenol?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Zinc dust removes the oxygen from phenol and converts it into benzene. This is a reductive deoxygenation. Benzoic acid requires oxidation. Salicylic acid requires Kolbe-Schmitt conditions. Anisole requires methylation of phenoxide.
Q2Alcohols Chemical Reactions
Which reagent selectively oxidizes a primary alcohol to an aldehyde without further oxidation to carboxylic acid?
Not quite — the answer is A.
PCC (pyridinium chlorochromate) is a mild oxidant that stops oxidation at the aldehyde stage. KMnO4 and K2Cr2O7 are strong oxidants that push primary alcohols all the way to carboxylic acids. CrO3 in acetone (Jones reagent) also over-oxidizes.
Q3Phenols Chemical Reactions
Which reagent is used for mild nitration of phenol to give ortho and para nitrophenol?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Dilute HNO₃ is sufficient for mononitration of phenol because the –OH group strongly activates the ring toward EAS, giving a mixture of o- and p-nitrophenol. Conc. HNO₃ + conc. H₂SO₄ drives trinitration to picric acid. No Lewis acid catalyst is needed unlike benzene nitration.
Q4Grand Test
Which alcohol gives immediate turbidity with Lucas reagent at room temperature?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Lucas reagent (conc. HCl + ZnCl2) converts alcohols to alkyl chlorides via a carbocation. Tertiary carbocations form most readily, so tertiary alcohols give immediate turbidity. 2-Methylpropan-2-ol is the only tertiary alcohol among the options. Primary alcohols such as propan-1-ol, butan-1-ol and 2-methylpropan-1-ol do not react appreciably at room temperature.
Q5Mixed Revision
Which of the following alcohols reacts most rapidly with Lucas reagent at room temperature?
Not quite — the answer is C.
Lucas reagent acts via SN1. Tertiary carbocations are most stable, so tertiary alcohols react instantly. 2-Methylpropan-2-ol is the only tertiary alcohol listed. Propan-2-ol (secondary) reacts in about 5 minutes; propan-1-ol and 2-methylpropan-1-ol (both primary) do not react at room temperature.
Q6Alcohols Preparation
Ethene treated with cold conc. H2SO4 followed by hydrolysis gives which alcohol?
Not quite — the answer is B.
Ethene forms ethyl hydrogen sulfate intermediate; hydrolysis gives ethanol (2C). No carbon is added or lost in this reaction — methanol (1C) and propanols (3C) are impossible products.
Q7Ethers Chemical Reactions
Which reagent brings about cleavage of ethers under heating?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Ethers are cleaved by hot concentrated HI because I⁻ is a strong nucleophile that attacks the protonated ether. Dilute HCl and NaOH lack the nucleophilic strength and energy to break the C–O bond. HI is the standard reagent used for ether cleavage in NCERT.
Q8Phenols Preparation
Which method prepares phenol from chlorobenzene at high temperature and pressure?
Not quite — the answer is A.
In Dow's process, chlorobenzene reacts with aqueous NaOH at 300°C and 300 atm forming sodium phenoxide; acidification gives phenol. Kolbe's and Reimer-Tiemann reactions are used on phenol itself, not for its preparation.
Q9Uses of Alcohols Phenols and Ethers
Which alcohol is used as an antiseptic due to its protein-denaturing action?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Ethanol (70% v/v) is used as an antiseptic because it denatures microbial proteins effectively at this concentration. Methanol is toxic and never used medicinally. Glycerol is used as a humectant and emollient, not an antiseptic.
Q10Ethers Preparation
Which method is commonly used for preparation of symmetrical ethers from primary alcohols?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Primary alcohols heated with conc. H₂SO₄ at 413 K undergo intermolecular dehydration to give symmetrical ethers. Wurtz, Kolbe, and Reimer-Tiemann reactions are unrelated to ether preparation.
Q11Alcohols Physical Properties
Which intermolecular force is primarily responsible for the unusually high boiling points of alcohols compared to alkanes of similar molecular mass?
Not quite — the answer is A.
The O–H group in alcohols enables strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding (O–H···O), which requires significantly more energy to break than van der Waals forces in alkanes. Dipole-dipole alone cannot account for the large BP difference observed.
Q12Classification and Nomenclature
What is the IUPAC name of CH3CH2CH2OH?
Not quite — the answer is A.
The longest chain has 3 carbons; -OH on C1 gives propan-1-ol. Propan-2-ol is wrong because -OH is not on C2 here. Numbering must give -OH the lowest locant.
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Get RankUp on Google PlayQ13Phenols Physical Properties
Which intermolecular interaction is responsible for the higher boiling point of phenol compared to benzene?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Phenol's –OH group enables intermolecular O–H···O hydrogen bonding, which requires much more energy to overcome than the London forces in benzene. Both molecules are aromatic, so this difference is directly attributable to H-bonding alone.
Q14Ethers Physical Properties
Which intermolecular force is dominant between ether molecules?
Not quite — the answer is A.
Ethers have a polar C–O–C bond creating a net dipole, so dipole-dipole interactions dominate between ether molecules. Unlike alcohols, ethers have no O–H bond and therefore cannot form intermolecular hydrogen bonds with each other.
Q15Classification and Nomenclature
(CH3)3COH is classified as a tertiary alcohol because
Not quite — the answer is C.
Tertiary alcohol: the carbon bearing -OH is bonded to three other carbon atoms. The common trap is confusing "tertiary" with number of -OH groups rather than substitution at the carbon.
Q16Classification and Nomenclature
Which of the following is correctly classified as a polyhydric alcohol?
Not quite — the answer is B.
Glycerol (propane-1,2,3-triol) has three -OH groups, making it a trihydric (polyhydric) alcohol. Ethanol is monohydric; phenol is not an alcohol; CH3OCH3 is an ether.
Q17Classification and Nomenclature
The functional group present in ethers is best represented as
Not quite — the answer is B.
Ethers contain an oxygen atom bonded to two alkyl or aryl groups (R-O-R'). R-OH is alcohol; R-COOH is carboxylic acid; R-CHO is aldehyde.
Q18Classification and Nomenclature
Which of the following is a secondary alcohol?
Not quite — the answer is A.
In propan-2-ol, the carbon bearing -OH is bonded to two other carbons, making it secondary. Ethanol is primary; (CH3)3COH is tertiary; benzyl alcohol is primary (the -OH carbon has only one carbon substituent).
Q19Classification and Nomenclature
The common name of CH3OCH3 is dimethyl ether. Its IUPAC name is
Not quite — the answer is C.
In IUPAC nomenclature, the smaller alkyl group becomes the alkoxy prefix; the larger is the parent chain. Both groups are methyl, so the name is methoxymethane (written as one word). "Methoxy methane" as two words is incorrect format.
Q20Classification and Nomenclature
C6H5CH2OH is classified as an aromatic alcohol, NOT a phenol, because
Not quite — the answer is D.
Phenols have -OH directly on the aromatic ring carbon (sp2). In benzyl alcohol, -OH is on the CH2 group (sp3 carbon) in the side chain. Options B and C are true but do not define why it is not a phenol — option D is the defining structural criterion.
Q21Classification and Nomenclature
Which of the following correctly explains why alcohols are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary?
Not quite — the answer is B.
Classification depends on the degree of substitution at the carbon bearing the -OH group — 1°(one alkyl group), 2°(two), 3°(three). Option D is the common trap: locant position determines nomenclature, not classification.
Q22Classification and Nomenclature
Which of the following is correctly classified as an allylic alcohol?
Not quite — the answer is C.
An allylic alcohol has the -OH group on a carbon adjacent to a C=C double bond. CH2=CHCH2OH fits this; benzyl alcohol is benzylic (adjacent to ring); the others have no adjacent double bond.
Q23Classification and Nomenclature
The IUPAC name of the cyclic alcohol with -OH on a 5-membered ring is
Not quite — the answer is A.
Cyclic alcohols are named by adding -ol suffix to the cycloalkane name; the -OH carbon is C1 by default, so no locant is needed. Cyclopentanone is a ketone; pentanol is an open-chain alcohol.
Q24Classification and Nomenclature
In IUPAC nomenclature of ethers, the alkoxy group is named by
Not quite — the answer is D.
The smaller alkyl group is converted to an alkoxy group by replacing -yl with -oxy (methyl→methoxy, ethyl→ethoxy). The larger group becomes the parent chain. Option A describes parent chain naming, not the substituent.
ELITE question · AIR under 50 level
This chapter has 237 ELITE questions for students aiming at the very top. They are only in the app.
Unlock ELITE questions in the appKey Reactions
Quick revision: most questions in this chapter test these facts.
| Reaction / Concept | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| Acidity order | Phenol > water > 1° alcohol > 2° > 3° (electron donation destabilises alkoxide) |
| Dehydration | Alcohol + H₂SO₄/heat → alkene; follows Zaitsev's rule (more substituted alkene) |
| Lucas test | ZnCl₂ + HCl; 3° → immediate turbidity; 2° → 5 min; 1° → no reaction at RT |
| Kolbe reaction | Phenol + NaOH + CO₂ → salicylic acid (ortho-hydroxybenzoic acid) |
| Reimer-Tiemann | Phenol + CHCl₃ + NaOH → salicylaldehyde (ortho-hydroxybenzaldehyde) |
| Williamson synthesis | R−ONa + R'−X → R−O−R' (ether); best with 1° alkyl halide (SN2) |
What the app covers in this chapter
539 questions in total, each with a detailed explanation.
| Important PYQ Mixed Concepts | 94 |
| Alcohols Chemical Reactions | 60 |
| Phenols Chemical Reactions | 60 |
| Grand Test | 56 |
| Mixed Revision | 53 |
| Alcohols Preparation | 40 |
| Ethers Chemical Reactions | 40 |
| Phenols Preparation | 21 |
| Uses of Alcohols Phenols and Ethers | 21 |
| Ethers Preparation | 20 |
| Alcohols Physical Properties | 20 |
| Classification and Nomenclature | 19 |
| Phenols Physical Properties | 18 |
| Ethers Physical Properties | 17 |
Questions students ask
Is Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers important for NEET?
Yes — acidity comparison, name reactions (Kolbe, Reimer-Tiemann, Williamson) and distinguishing tests (Lucas, Victor Meyer) are frequently tested.
Which topics should I revise first?
Master the acidity order with reasoning, dehydration and Zaitsev's rule, Lucas test results, Kolbe and Reimer-Tiemann reactions of phenol, and Williamson ether synthesis.
How many questions from this chapter are on RankUp?
The RankUp app has 539 questions on Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, including 237 ELITE questions. Every question has a detailed explanation.
