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Why are carboxylic acids more acidic than alcohols or phenols although all of them have a hydrogen atom attached to an oxygen atom (-O-H)?

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Acidity depends upon the stability of the resulting conjugate base. In case of carboxylic acid, equivalent resonance structures stabilize the carboxylate ion as the negative charge is at the more electronegative oxygen atom. Phenoxide ion, conjugate base of phenol does not have equivalent resonance structure as the negative charge is on the less electronegative carbon atom.

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