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Core Organic Chemistry

Oxidation, dehydration and substitution reactions of alcohols

  • 3 things to know
  • Components 02 and 03

Overview

Recall questions on the conditions that give an aldehyde rather than a carboxylic acid, why tertiary alcohols resist oxidation, dehydration, and substitution to a haloalkane.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

How is a primary alcohol oxidised to an aldehyde, what conditions oxidise it fully to a carboxylic acid, and what does [O] represent?

Numbers

How many [O] are needed to oxidise a primary alcohol to a carboxylic acid, what is the general equation, and what forms when a secondary alcohol is heated with acidified dichromate?

Key term

What type of reaction occurs when an alcohol is heated with concentrated phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What reagent acts as an oxidising agent for alcohols and what conditions are required?

    Model answer

    Acidified potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇/H₂SO₄), heated: distil for an aldehyde, reflux for a carboxylic acid or ketone.

  2. 2

    How can a primary alcohol be oxidised to an aldehyde rather than a carboxylic acid?

    Model answer

    By heating with acidified dichromate and distilling the aldehyde product immediately as it forms.

  3. 3

    What conditions are needed to oxidise a primary alcohol fully to a carboxylic acid?

    Model answer

    Heating under reflux with excess acidified dichromate.

  4. 4

    In the equation for oxidising a primary alcohol to an aldehyde, what does [O] represent?

    Model answer

    [O] represents the oxidising agent providing oxygen for the oxidation reaction.

  5. 5

    What is the general form of the equation for oxidising a primary alcohol to an aldehyde using [O] notation?

    Model answer

    R-CH₂OH + [O] → R-CHO + H₂O

  6. 6

    How many [O] are required to oxidise a primary alcohol to a carboxylic acid?

    Model answer

    Two [O] are required.

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Foundations in Chemistry
Bonding and Structure
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The order is .
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AThe first step is Cl• + O₃ → ClO• + O₂.
BThe second step is ClO• + O → Cl• + O₂.
CThe overall equation is O₃ + O → 2O₂.

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In ClO⁻, chlorine has oxidation number +1.
TrueFalse

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