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Give a chemical test to distinguish between the following.
Phenol and acetic acid
Answer
Answer
AIsodium bicarbonate test test: reagent: NaHCO3 solution; positive: acetic acid; observation: brisk effervescence of CO2; other: no change
| Test | Phenol | Acetic acid |
| Sodium bicarbonate ($\mathrm{NaHCO_3}$) solution | No effervescence (phenol is too weak an acid) | Brisk effervescence of $\mathrm{CO_2}$ |
From ISC 2026 Improvement Chemistry Paper 1, question 10(i).