oxidation of alcohols

what oxidising agent is used for the oxidation of alcohols?

acidified potassium dichromate (VI)

what can 1^o alcohols be oxidised to?

aldehydes (which can be further oxidised to carboxylic acids)

what would happen if you added an XS of the oxidising agent to a 1^o alcohol?

1^o alcohol would be fully oxidised to carboxylic acid (1^o alcohol → aldehyde → carboxylic acid)

what can 2^o alcohols be oxidised to?

ketones

what can 3^o alcohols be oxidised to?

nothing …

what is a primary (1^o) alcohol?

an alcohol w/ only 1 C bonded to the C bonded to the functional group -OH (e.g. ethanol)

what is a secondary (2^o) alcohol?

an alcohol w/ 2 Cs bonded to the C bonded to the functional group -OH (e.g. propan-2-ol)

what is a tertiary (3^o) alcohol?

an alcohol w/ 3 Cs bonded to the C bonded to the functional group -OH (e.g. 2-methyl-propan-2-ol)

how do we represent the oxidising agent in eqns?

[O]

name and describe the method for the oxidation of a primary alcohol to an aldehyde:

heating under reflux:

• keeps reactant in flask to allow further oxidation

• anti-bumping granules used to prevent formation of large bubbles

name and describe the method for the further oxidation of an aldehyde to a carboxylic acid:

distillation:

• product is distilled off as it forms to prevent further oxidation