Write a short note on oxidation of alcohols. What are the different reactions involved, with suitable examples?
1 Answer
The oxidation of alcohols requires having a proton on the same carbon as the hydroxyl group.
Do you see how there are two protons on a primary (
Also, notice that that proton is actually lost. You lose two hydrogens adjacent to each other (one of which is on the
In the case of an oxidation from the aldehyde to the carboxylic acid, you gain
As far as I know, it's not possible to lose a
Examples of oxidation of alcohols are:
#"H"_2"CrO"_4# (chromic acid) to get a carboxylic acid from a primary alcohol, or a ketone from a secondary alcohol.#("CH"_3)_2"S"="O"# and#"Cl"-("C"="O")_2"Cl"# at#-60^@ "C"# , and then work up with#"Et"_3"NH"_2# (the Swern oxidation) to go from a primary alcohol to an aldehyde or a secondary alcohol to a ketone.#"PCC"# in#"CH"_2"Cl"_2# to get an aldehyde from a primary alcohol, but not a carboxylic acid.