Phenol

For those of you who have been wondering how phenol can possibly be made by electrophilic aromatic substitution... well, it isn't. As would more reasonably be expected, it's commonly made by nucleophilic aromatic substitution in which sodium hydroxide supplies a strong nucleophile that replaces another group (the 'leaving group') such as -Cl or -SO3H.

Phenols are also made by direct catalytic oxidation of benzene, nowadays. This kind of direct synthesis at the elemental level is the 'Holy Grail' of modern organometallic chemists.

Here is a convenient summary of methods for preparation of phenol, with links to related topics. It's a good reason why you should buy Carey's text.
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