Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
Which functional group is introduced when an alcohol is oxidized to form ?
A
Ketone
B
Aldehyde
C
Carboxylic acid
D
Ether
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the starting functional group: an alcohol, which has the general structure \(R-CH_2OH\) (primary), \(R-CHOH-R'\) (secondary), or \(R_3COH\) (tertiary).
Understand that oxidation of alcohols involves the loss of hydrogen atoms and/or the addition of oxygen, changing the functional group.
Recognize that primary alcohols oxidize first to aldehydes (\(R-CHO\)) and can further oxidize to carboxylic acids (\(R-COOH\)), while secondary alcohols oxidize to ketones (\(R-CO-R'\)).
Note that tertiary alcohols generally do not oxidize under mild conditions because they lack a hydrogen atom on the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group.
Since the product is \(R_2C=O\) (a carbonyl group bonded to two alkyl groups), the functional group introduced is a ketone.