Question

How does an aromatic ring affect the stability of the anionic conjugate base?

Answer 1

Because it distributes the negative charge over several centres it should serve to stabilize the anion.

Explanation:

So how can we justify that statement? We might look at `pK_a` data for phenol, and for ethanol. If what I am saying is correct phenol should be a much stronger acid than ethanol (which does not act as an acid in aqueous solution).