Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R:
Assertion A: Alcohols react both as nucleophiles and electrophiles.
Reason R: Alcohols react with active metals such as sodium, potassium and aluminum to yield corresponding alkoxides and liberate hydrogen.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Solution

Chemistry ma’am · 4 steps

Both lines come straight from NCERT, but the sodium reaction shows acidity, not why alcohols are dual-natured.

1. Alcohol as nucleophile. The oxygen of the O–H group carries lone pairs. When the O-H bond breaks, oxygen uses a lone pair to attack an electrophile, as in esterification with an acid or acid chloride.
2. Alcohol as electrophile. When oxygen is protonated, R-OH₂⁺ forms and water becomes a good leaving group. The carbon attached to oxygen turns electron-poor and is attacked by a nucleophile, so the C-O bond breaks. So A is true.

   2R-OH + 2Na → 2R-O⁻Na⁺ + H₂ ↑

3. Check the Reason. This reaction is real, so R is true. But it only shows that the O–H hydrogen is acidic. It says nothing about oxygen attacking an electrophile or carbon being attacked by a nucleophile.
4. So. Both statements are true, but R does not explain A. The answer is (b).

The idea to keep. Dual nature of alcohols comes from which bond breaks: O–H for nucleophile, C–O after protonation for electrophile. Reaction with Na shows acidic character, a separate property.

Answer from the NTA final answer key. Solution by PrepWiser.