What is the IUPAC name of m-cresol?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → 3-Methylphenol
m-Cresol contains a benzene ring with two substituents - one hydroxyl (-OH) group and one methyl ($-CH_3$) group. Since -OH has higher priority, the parent compound is phenol. The methyl group is located at the meta (3rd) position relative to the -OH group, so the correct IUPAC name becomes 3-Methylphenol.
Option 1: 3-Methylphenol
This correctly represents the structure of m-cresol. The hydroxyl group is treated as the principal functional group and assigned position 1, while the methyl group is located at position 3 (meta position). Hence, this is the correct IUPAC name.