Statement I: Phenol on treatment with CHCl3/ aq. KOH under refluxing condition, followed by acidification produces p-hydroxy benzladehyde as the major product and o-hydroxy benzaldehyde as the minor product.
Statement II : The mixture of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and o-hydroxybenzaldehyde can be easily separated through steam distillation.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below :
(A)Both Statement I and Statement II are false
(B)Statement I is true but Statement II is false
(C)Both Statement I and Statement II are true
(D)Statement I is false but Statement II is true✓ Correct
Answer: (D)
Solution
Treating phenol with chloroform and aqueous potassium hydroxide is the Reimer-Tiemann reaction, which goes through a dichlorocarbene that attacks the ring mainly next to the phenoxide oxygen; after acidification the chief product is the ortho isomer, salicylaldehyde (2-hydroxybenzaldehyde), with the para isomer only minor. The claim in Statement I that the para aldehyde is the major product is therefore false. The ortho aldehyde is stabilised by intramolecular hydrogen bonding and is steam-volatile, whereas the para aldehyde forms intermolecular hydrogen bonds and is not, so the two are readily separated by steam distillation, making Statement II true. Hence Statement I is false but Statement II is true.
JEE Main · 2026 · 22 Jan 2026 · Shift 1 · Single correct option
