Will Phenol react with acidified potassium dichromate (VI)?

Answer 1

No, phenol does indeed look like an alcohol but due to the benzene ring attatched to the OH group, it does not have the +ve inducing effect needed or the splitting of an C-H bond to form a carbocation initially during the mechanism of oxidation.

Answer 2

No it will not.
Phenol looks like an alcohol but it is not.
An alcohol reacts with acidified potassium dichromate (VI) to give an aldehyde which is further oxidised to a carboxylic acid.

Answer 3

This obviously no.... Oxidation of alcohols is basically possible if the carbon carrying the hydroxy group has hydrogen attached to it. How could you say that it's possible with phenol. Phenol lacks hydrogen atom on the carbon carrying the hydroxy group.
Orlando Simon Peter, Bachelors in science technology in chemistry.

Answer 4

No, its not going to happen. First of all, as JJ above pointed out, there is no hydrogen to do the oxidation. (remember R2CHOH ---> ketone, and RCH2OH---> aldehyde). More importantly, however, even if there were a way for it to occur, it wouldn't happen because you would be destroying the aromatic character, which is EXTREMELY unfavorable. Aromaticity = hyperstabilization. In fact, due to the stablility of the aromatic system, this is one of the rare cases where the "enol" form will be favored over the "keto" form in keto/enol tautaumerism.

A good question though.

Answer 5

Phenol is not readily oxidised by acidified Pot. Dich. because it does not have a hydrogen atom on the carbon atom to which the -OH group is attached.

Answer 6

I don't know why everyone got it wrong. Phenol will indeed react with acidic dichromate. The product is a quinone (cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1,4-dione also known as p-benzoquinone).