Oxidation reactions of alcohols Flashcards
one way to think of oxidation is
as the loss of hydrogen form an alcohol molecule
oxidation affect only
one carbon atom
oxidation is different to dehydration as
oxidation only affects one carbon atom
in an oxidation reaction, the H atoms removed come from
one from the OH group and the other joined to the carbon atom joined to the OH group
oxidation o alcohols results in the formation of a
C=O group
a carbonyl group is
a C=O group
a C=O is known as
a carbonyl group
only…………………….alcohols can be oxidised
primary and secondary
tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidised because
the carbon which has the OH group attached to it is itself bonded to three carbon atoms, so has no hydrogen atom to ‘spare’ and form the C=O double bond
when secondary alcohols are oxidised, a product belonging to a homologous series called………..is formed
ketones
what do we mean by ketone?
a homologous series of organic compounds formed by oxidation of secondary alcohols.
what is the simplified general formula of a ketone?
RCOR, where R is a alkyl group. R can represent different alkyl groups.
how is an aldehyde formed and what is it?
aldehydes are a homologous series of organic compounds formed by the partial oxidation of primary alcohols.
what is the simplified general formula of aldehydes?
RCHO, where R is an alkyl group
what is the problem with aldehydes when alcohols are being oxidised?
aldehydes oxidise more easily than alcohols, so when they are formed from primary alcohols in a reaction, they will oxidise further to form carboxylic acids
