Question

Phenol is an organic compound even though it is soluble in water due to the presence of:
(a)- Ionic bonding
(b)- Covalent bonding
(c)- Hydrogen bonding
(d)- Coordinate bonding

Answer 1

Phenol is an organic compound that is an aromatic compound having a benzene ring and on the benzene ring there is a hydroxyl group present. So, there is an electronegative atom in the phenol, i.e., oxygen atom which will form bonding with the hydrogen atom in water.

Complete answer:
Phenol is an organic compound that is an aromatic compound having a benzene ring and on the benzene ring, there is a hydroxyl group present. Its formula is ${{C}_{6}}{{H}_{5}}OH$, and its formula is given below:

So, there is an electronegative atom in the phenol, i.e., oxygen atom. And we know that most three electronegative atoms in the periodic table, i.e., nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine atoms have a special ability to form bonding with the hydrogen atom, and this bonding is known as hydrogen bonding.
So, when the phenol is dissolved in water the oxygen atom of the phenol atom will form hydrogen bonding with hydrogen atoms in the water. Therefore, due to this hydrogen bonding, phenol is soluble in water as hydrogen bonding is a strong bonding.

Therefore, the correct answer is an option (c)- Hydrogen bonding.

Note:
Only nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine can form the hydrogen bonding, and due to this bonding the solubility increases, boiling point increases, etc. This bonding is stronger than covalent bonding.