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JEE Main levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 2 of 3g2224

Four compounds are shown beside the options (the drawn compound is ethene, for reference). Which structure is the weakest acid?

  1. AStructure A
  2. BStructure B
  3. CStructure C
  4. DStructure D

Answer: D

Acidity follows the stability of the conjugate base. Ethyne (pKa about 25) is a far weaker acid than ethanol (about 16), phenol (about 10) and acetic acid (4.76); even though sp carbon is fairly electronegative, a carbanion with no delocalisation is much less stable than an oxyanion.
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