Chapter 17 Hydroxy compounds Flashcards
Production of Alcohols
- Alcohols are compounds that contain at least one hydroxy (-OH) group
- The general formula of alcohols is CnH2n+1OH
- Alcohols can be prepared by a wide range of chemical reactions
Production of Alcohol: Electrophilic addition of alkenes
-When hot steam is reacted with an alkene, using concentrated phosphoric(VI) acid (H3PO4)as a catalyst, electrophilic addition takes place to form an alcohol
Production of Alcohol: Oxidation of alkenes
-Cold, dilute KMnO4 is a mild oxidising agent and oxidises alkenes
- The C-C double bond is not fully broken and a diol is formed
- -A diol is a compound with two hydroxy, -OH, groups
Production of Alcohol: Nucleophilic substitution of halogenoalkanes
The halide atom in halogenoalkanes can be substituted when heated with aqueous NaOH in a nucleophilic substitution reaction
Production of Alcohol: Reduction of aldehyde & ketones
-Aldehydes and ketones can be reduced by reducing agents such as NaBH4 or LiAlH4
- Aldehydes are reduced to primary alcohols
- -The carbon attached to the hydroxy group is bonded to one other alkyl group
- Ketones are reduced to secondary alcohols
- -The carbon attached to the hydroxy group is bonded to two other alkyl groups
Production of Alcohol: Reduction of carboxylic acids
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Similarly, carboxylic acids are reduced by NaBH4 or LiAlH4 to primary alcohols
-Carboxylic acids can also be reduced by H2 using a nickel catalyst and heat
Production of Alcohol: Hydrolysis of ester
- Esters are made by a condensation reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid
- When an ester is heated with dilute acid or alkali, hydrolysis will take place and the carboxylic acid and alcohol will be reformed
Reactions of Alcohols: Combustion of alcohols
- Alcohols react with oxygen in the air when ignited and undergo complete combustion to form carbon dioxide and water
- Alcohol + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
Reactions of Alcohols: Substitution of alcohols
- In the substitution of alcohols, a hydroxy group (-OH) is replaced by a halogen to form an halogenoalkane
- The substitution of the alcohol group for a halogen can be achieved by reacting the alcohol with:
–HX (rather than using HBr, KBr is reacted with H2SO4 or H3PO4 to make HBr that will then react with the alcohol)
–PCl3 and heat
–PCl5 at room temperature
–SOCl2
Substitution of alcohols to produce halogenoalkanes
Reaction of Alcohol: Reaction with Na
- When an alcohol reacts with a reactive metal such as sodium (Na), the oxygen-hydrogen bond in the hydroxy group breaks
- Though the reaction is less vigorous than sodium reacting with water, hydrogen gas is given off and a basic compound (alkoxide) is formed
–If the excess ethanol is evaporated off after the reaction a white crystalline solid of sodium alkoxide is left
Alcohol + sodium → sodium alkoxide + hydrogen
-The longer the hydrocarbon chain in the alcohol, the less vigorous the reaction becomes
Reaction of Alcohols: Dehydration of alcohols
-Alcohols can also undergo dehydration to form alkenes
–Dehydration is a reaction in which a water molecule is removed from a larger molecule
–A dehydration reaction is a type of elimination reaction
-Alcohol vapour is passed over a hot catalyst of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) powder OR pieces of porous pot or pumice as well as concentrated acid can be used as catalysts
Reation of alcohol: Esterification of Alcohols
- Esterification is a condensation reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol to form an ester and a water molecule
- For esterification to take place, the carboxylic acid and alcohol are heated under reflux with a strong acid catalyst (such as H2SO4 or H3PO4)
-Carboxylic acid + alcohol → ester + water
- The reaction is reversible so an equilibrium mixture can be established with all the reactants and products
- Esters have sweet, fruity smells
Reation of alcohols: Oxidation of alcohols with Acidified potassium dichromate(VI)
-K2Cr2O7, is an orange oxidising agent
- Acidified means that that the potassium dichromate(VI) is in a solution of dilute acid (such as dilute sulfuric acid)
- For potassium dichromate(VI) to act as an oxidising agent, it itself needs to be reduced
- This reduction requires hydrogen (H+) ions which are provided by the acidic medium
–When alcohols are oxidised the orange dichromate ions (Cr2O72-) are reduced to green Cr3+ ions