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Alcohol Reactions quiz

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Terms in this set (15)

  • What functional group characterizes alcohols?
    Alcohols are characterized by the hydroxyl group (–OH).
  • Why are alcohols able to participate in many organic reactions?
    Alcohols can participate in many reactions due to the highly polarized hydroxyl group.
  • What type of reaction occurs when an alcohol reacts with a hydrohalic acid like HCl or HBr?
    A substitution reaction occurs, producing an alkyl halide and water.
  • Why is HF not typically used in alcohol substitution reactions?
    HF is too reactive to be used safely in these reactions.
  • What is the product when an alcohol reacts with HBr?
    The product is an alkyl bromide (alkyl halide with Br) and water.
  • What happens to the –OH group during a substitution reaction with a hydrohalic acid?
    The –OH group combines with a hydrogen from the acid to form water, and the halogen replaces the –OH.
  • What is the main product when an alcohol undergoes an elimination reaction with concentrated acid and heat?
    The main product is an alkene, formed by the loss of water (dehydration).
  • Which acids are commonly used to dehydrate alcohols in elimination reactions?
    Concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or phosphoric acid are commonly used.
  • What is lost from the alcohol molecule during an elimination (dehydration) reaction?
    An –OH group and a hydrogen atom from a neighboring carbon are lost as water.
  • What is the result of oxidizing a primary alcohol with sodium dichromate and sulfuric acid?
    A primary alcohol is oxidized to a carboxylic acid.
  • What is the result of oxidizing a secondary alcohol?
    A secondary alcohol is oxidized to a ketone.
  • What happens when you try to oxidize a tertiary alcohol?
    Tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized under these conditions; no reaction occurs.
  • How do you determine if an alcohol is primary, secondary, or tertiary?
    You look at the carbon attached to the –OH group and count how many other carbons it is connected to: one for primary, two for secondary, and three for tertiary.
  • What is a carboxylic acid functional group?
    A carboxylic acid has a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen and single-bonded to an –OH group.
  • What is a ketone functional group?
    A ketone has a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen and connected to two other carbons.