---
title: "Phenoxide ion Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw"
url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/resonance-phenoxide/
description: "Phenoxide ion template: PhO⁻: four contributors with the negative charge on O, ortho, para and the other ortho carbon, each from one lone pair and one π…"
lang: en
publisher: Scidart Academy
generated: 2026-10-28
---
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# Phenoxide ion template

![Phenoxide ion template: PhO⁻: four contributors with the negative charge on O, ortho, para and the other ortho carbon, each from one lone pair and one π bond.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/resonance-phenoxide.webp)

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PhO⁻: four contributors with the negative charge on O, ortho, para and the other ortho carbon, each from one lone pair and one π bond.

## What the template shows

- The negative charge spreads from oxygen to the ortho and para carbons
- Resonance contributors
- Negative charge: O, ortho, para, ortho′
- The form with the charge on oxygen is the most important; the three ring forms spread the charge onto carbon.
- Delocalisation stabilises phenoxide, so phenol (pKa 10) is about a million times more acidic than cyclohexanol (pKa 16).
- Electron-withdrawing groups at ortho or para (e.g. NO₂) delocalise the charge further: 4-nitrophenol has pKa 7.2.
- The electron-rich ortho and para carbons react with electrophiles (Kolbe–Schmitt, Reimer–Tiemann, azo coupling).
- Contributors are not in equilibrium: the real species is one hybrid of them · every part of this figure is editable

Drawn with 28 atoms, 9 arrows, 2 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

## Sources

- [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 7](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook
- [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook

## How to use this template

1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Phenoxide ion template free?

You can preview the Phenoxide ion template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

### Can I edit the Phenoxide ion template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

### Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

### How are resonance structures shown?

Each contributor is drawn separately, joined by double-headed resonance arrows, with curly arrows showing how the electrons move from one contributor to the next.

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