As we will learn in Section 15.12, many antioxidants–compounds that prevent unwanted radic...

As we will learn in Section 15.12, many antioxidants–compounds that prevent unwanted radical oxidation reactions from occurring—are phenols, compounds that contain an OH group bonded directly to a benzene ring.

a. Explain why homolysis of the O – H bond in phenol requires considerably less energy than homolysis of the O–H bond in ethanol (362 kJ/mol vs. 438 kJ/mol).

b. Why is the C–O bond in phenol shorter than the C–O bond in ethanol?