How do I get propanoic acid from chloropropane?

Chloropropane, apparently, with a reagent will form another compound. This compound with a reagent, dichromate, forms propanoic acid. What is, firstly, the initial reagent? and secondly, the middle compound?

1 Answer
anor277
Jun 4, 2017

#"1-Chloropropane "stackrel(KOH"/"H_2O)rarr" 1-propanol"#

#"1-propanol "stackrel(KMnO_4"/"H_3O^+)rarr" propanoic acid"#

Explanation:

Alkyl halide to alcohol, and the alcohol is then oxidized up to the alkanoic acid with acidified potassium permanganate or potassium dichromate.

Alternatively, if we started with #"2-chloropropane"#, we could dehydrohalogenate to give #"propylene"#.

#H_3C-CH(Cl)CH_3stackrel("KOH/"Delta)rarrH_2C=CHCH_3#

And then follows hydroboration to give the primary alcohol, followed by oxidation as before.

#H_2C=CHCH_3stackrel((i)B_2H_6)stackrel((ii)H_2O_2)rarrHOCH_2CH_2CH_3stackrel((iii)[O])rarr"propionic acid"#

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