Which of the following alcohols is the strongest acid?

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CH₃OH

CH₃CH₂OH

(CH₃)₂CHCH₂OH

(CH₃)₃COH.

answer is A.

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Detailed Solution

Given data:
It is given to identify the alcohol that is the strongest acid.
Explanation:

The acidity serves as a gauge for proton donating power. While the acidity of the molecule increases when electrons are donated, it decreases when they are released.

The correct order of increasing acidity is ${(C H_{3})}_{3} C O H$ followed by ${(C H_{3})}_{2} C H O H$ and then $C H_{3} O H$ .
A strong acid requires a very stable conjugate base anion. Only then will acid dissociate more quickly to produce a hydronium ion.
The conjugate base in the illustration has three +I groups and a negatively charged O atom linked to it. It is thus the least stable.