which is more polar benzoic acid or phenyl formate?

1 answer

Benzoic acid is more polar than phenyl formate.

This is due to the presence of the carboxylic acid group (COOH) in benzoic acid which has a significantly higher polarity compared to the ester group (COOR) in phenyl formate. The carboxylic acid group contains a highly polarized and acidic C=O bond and an electronegative O-H bond. These polar bonds result in the formation of hydrogen bonds and increase the overall polarity of benzoic acid.

Phenyl formate, on the other hand, has a less polar ester group, which contains a less polar C=O bond and a non-polar C-O bond. It does not have the capability to form hydrogen bonds to the same extent as benzoic acid. Therefore, phenyl formate is less polar compared to benzoic acid.