How can aldehydes and ketones be produced from alcohols?

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How can aldehydes and ketones be produced from alcohols?

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Answer 1 · 2016-03-12T15:26:45

By oxidation of the alcohol; usually you don't have to try too hard.

Explanation:

Primary alcohols, $1^{\circ}$ $1^@$ alcohols, $R_{1} C H_{2} O H$ $R_1CH_2OH$ oxidize to (i) the aldehyde, $R_{1} C (= O) H$ $R_1C(=O)H$ , and then to the carboxylic acid, $R_{1} C O_{2} H$ $R_1CO_2H$ . Normally, it is hard to stop oxidation at the aldehyde.

Secondary alcohols, $2^{\circ}$ $2^@$ alcohols, $R_{1} C H (O H) R_{2}$ $R_1CH(OH)R_2$ , oxidize to give the ketone $R_{1} C (= O) R_{2}$ $R_1C(=O)R_2$ , and normally stop at this stage. Ketones tend to be a lot more robust under oxidative conditions.

Why should we want to make aldehydes and ketones? Well, they open the possibility of $C - C$ $C-C$ bond formation with anionic carbon residues.

Tertiary alcohols, , $3^{\circ}$ $3^@$ alcohols, $R_{1} C (O H) R_{2} R_{3}$ $R_1C(OH)R_2R_3$ , are inert to oxidation.

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How can aldehydes and ketones be produced from alcohols?

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