The compound that is most difficult to protonate is :

Question

Canvas Classes · Accepted Answer

🧠 The Proton Tug-of-War
Protonation involves an Oxygen atom donating its lone pair to an incoming  ion. To be "difficult to protonate," the lone pair must be "missing" or "busy" elsewhere.

🗺️ Evaluating the Basicity
- Alcohols (Option 1, 2, 3): In simple alcohols, the lone pair on Oxygen is localized and ready for action.
- Phenol (Option 4): In Phenol, the lone pair of electrons on the Oxygen atom is in resonance with the -system of the benzene ring.
  1. The lone pair is delocalized.
  2. T

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