Phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide in acidic medium to produce

Salicylic acid

The correct answer is option 3. Salicylic acid.

Phenol reacts with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide under specific conditions to produce salicylic acid. This reaction is known as the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction.

Phenol \((C_6H_5OH)\) first reacts with sodium hydroxide \((NaOH)\) to form sodium phenoxide \((C_6H_5O^-Na^+)\). The sodium phenoxide then reacts with carbon dioxide \((CO_2)\) under high pressure and temperature to form sodium salicylate.The sodium salicylate is then treated with an acid (like hydrochloric acid, \(HCl\)) to form salicylic acid.

Salicylic Acid: The final product is salicylic acid, which has the formula \(C_6H_4(OH)(COOH)\). It is an ortho-hydroxybenzoic acid.

The correct product of the reaction of phenol with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide in an acidic medium is salicylic acid. Therefore, the correct answer is option 3: Salicylic acid.