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Simple answer ... you need at least one hydrogen attached to carbinol carbon. in other words, you have a hydrogen on the oxygen to give you the hydroxyl group that is attached to the carbinol carbon, but you also need a hydrogen coming off that carbon. The reason - your reagent, such as chromic acid, joins with the alcohol at the position of the hydroxyl group, which leads to an H2O molecule being shot off. The chromic acid provides the -OH of that water, but takes the H off the hydroxyl group to get the 2nd hydrogen atom. You would now have a chromate ester + water. The water then takes off a hydrogen atom attached to the carbinol carbon, which leaves the electrons to form a double bond with the Oxygen atom. Without the hydrogen attached to the carbinol carbon ... like in a tertiary alcohol ... oxidation could only take place by breaking carbon-carbon bonds, which requires severe conditions. Even if this did happen, you would get a mixture of products.

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What is the product when a tertiary alcohol is oxidized?

The product of oxidizing a tertiary alcohol is a ketone. Tertiary alcohols cannot be further oxidized to carboxylic acids due to the absence of a hydrogen atom on the carbon atom adjacent to the hydroxyl group.


What classification of alcohol is resistant to oxidation?

Primary alcohols are more resistant to oxidation compared to secondary and tertiary alcohols. This is because primary alcohols have a hydrogen atom attached to the carbon with the hydroxyl group, which can be oxidized to form an aldehyde or carboxylic acid.


What alcohol would not be oxidized in the bordwell wellman test?

Alcohols that cannot be oxidized in the Bordwell-Wellman test are tertiary alcohols. This is because the oxidation process requires the formation of a carbon-carbon bond, and tertiary alcohols lack a hydrogen atom on the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group, making them resistant to oxidation.


What kinds of alcohols can be used to prepare ketones?

Primary or secondary alcohols can be used to prepare ketones through oxidation reactions. Common methods include using mild oxidizing agents like chromic acid, PCC (pyridinium chlorochromate), or Swern oxidation. Tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized to ketones.


Which alcohol is not oxidized by chromic acid?

Tertiary alcohols are not oxidized by chromic acid because they do not have any hydrogen atoms on the carbon atom that bears the hydroxyl group. This lack of hydrogen atoms prevents the formation of a stable intermediate that is necessary for the oxidation reaction to occur.


Why does bleach oxidize 2-methylcyclohexanol but not 1-methylcyclohexanol?

Because 2- methylcyclohexanol is a secondary alcohol (2 R- groups) and can be oxidized to a ketone quite easity whereas 1- methylcyclohexanol is a tertiary alcohol (3 R- groups) and is not easily oxidized. Tertiary alcohols in general are very difficult to oxidize.


Stractural differences of tertiary alcohols?

Tertiary alcohols have three alkyl groups attached to the carbon atom bearing the hydroxyl group. This results in a more hindered structure compared to primary and secondary alcohols, making tertiary alcohols less reactive towards oxidation reactions. Additionally, tertiary alcohols can undergo elimination reactions to form alkenes more readily than primary or secondary alcohols due to the stability of the resulting carbocation intermediate.


Why do secondary and primary alcohol prove to be more reactive than tertiary alcohols?

Primary and secondary alcohols are more reactive than tertiary alcohols due to their structure, which allows for easier protonation and subsequent reaction with electrophiles. Primary and secondary alcohols have fewer steric hindrances compared to tertiary alcohols, making it easier for nucleophiles to approach and react with the hydroxyl group. Additionally, the carbon in tertiary alcohols is more stable and less likely to participate in reactions, such as dehydration or oxidation, compared to the more reactive primary and secondary alcohols.


What is the colour of K2Cr2O7 when oxidized or reduced?

Orange ---> Green Primary and secondary alcohols, no reaction with tertiary


What is the relative reactivity of Secondary and tertiary alcohols towards oxidation with potassium permanganate?

Tertiary alcohols are more reactive towards oxidation with potassium permanganate compared to secondary alcohols. This is because the presence of more alkyl groups in tertiary alcohols stabilizes the intermediate carbocation formed during oxidation.


What kind of alcohols can be used to prepare aldehydes?

Primary alcohols can be oxidized to aldehydes using mild oxidizing agents such as PCC (pyridinium chlorochromate) or PDC (pyridinium dichromate). Examples of primary alcohols that can be used include ethanol, propanol, and butanol.


What is pH of tertiary alcohols?

Tertiary alcohols typically have a neutral pH around 7 when dissolved in water, as they do not significantly dissociate to produce hydroxide or hydrogen ions. However, their behavior can vary slightly depending on the presence of other functional groups or solvents. In general, tertiary alcohols are less acidic than primary and secondary alcohols due to steric hindrance that affects their ability to donate protons.