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If you draw the resonatic structure, obviously, the conjugate base of phenol seems to be more stabilized than methanoic acid's. Then why this anomaly?

MrObjectOriented
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  • Hi and welcome to chemistry.stackexchange.com. Feel free to take a [tour] of the site. Visit the [help] to learn more about how it works. – Jan Feb 09 '16 at 14:15
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    Can someone find a duplicate which says that it's not the number of resonance structures that matters, but rather the extent of their contribution? This question has been asked too many times. – orthocresol Feb 09 '16 at 14:47
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    obviously, the conjugate base of phenol seems to be more stabilized than methanoic acid's No, I do not think this is obvious at all. As @orthocresol pointed out, the number of resonance structures is of secondary importance compared to their individual stability and contribution. – bon Feb 09 '16 at 15:32

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