Question

Given below are two statements: - Assertion (A): Sodium on reaction with alcohols liberates \( \text{H}_2 \) gas. - Reason (R): Alcohols are acidic in nature. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options below:

• A. Both A and R are correct and R explains A.
• B. Both A and R are correct but R does not explain A.
• C. A is correct, R is incorrect.
• D. A is incorrect, R is correct.

Hint:

Sodium reacts with alcohols to liberate hydrogen gas. However, alcohols are weak acids, not strongly acidic in nature.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

- Assertion (A) is correct. Sodium reacts with alcohols, and during this reaction, hydrogen gas (\( \text{H}_2 \)) is liberated: \[ 2 \, \text{Na} + 2 \, \text{ROH} \rightarrow 2 \, \text{NaOR} + \text{H}_2 \] - Reason (R) is incorrect. Alcohols are not acidic in nature. They are weakly acidic due to the presence of the hydroxyl group, but they do not exhibit strong acidic behavior like hydrochloric acid. In fact, alcohols are more commonly classified as neutral or weakly basic rather than acidic. Therefore, the correct answer is (3) A is correct, R is incorrect.