Primary and secondary alcohols on action of red hot copper givea)Aldeh...
Primary and secondary alcohols undergo oxidation reactions when they come into contact with red hot copper. The products formed from these reactions are aldehydes and ketones, respectively. Let's understand why this happens.
Oxidation of primary alcohols:
When a primary alcohol reacts with red hot copper, it undergoes oxidation. The initial step involves the formation of an aldehyde intermediate. This is because the oxidation of a primary alcohol stops at the aldehyde stage since further oxidation to a carboxylic acid requires stronger oxidizing agents. Therefore, the product obtained from the oxidation of a primary alcohol is an aldehyde.
Oxidation of secondary alcohols:
On the other hand, when a secondary alcohol reacts with red hot copper, it also undergoes oxidation. However, in this case, the oxidation proceeds further to give a ketone as the final product. This is because the oxidation of a secondary alcohol does not stop at the aldehyde stage, unlike the oxidation of a primary alcohol. Instead, the oxidation continues until a ketone is formed.
Explanation of the answer:
Based on the above explanations, we can conclude that the action of red hot copper on primary alcohols results in the formation of aldehydes, while the action on secondary alcohols leads to the formation of ketones. Therefore, the correct answer is option 'A', which states that primary alcohols give aldehydes, and secondary alcohols give ketones.
In summary:
- Primary alcohols are oxidized to aldehydes when reacted with red hot copper.
- Secondary alcohols are oxidized to ketones when reacted with red hot copper.
This knowledge is important in organic chemistry as it helps in understanding the reactions and transformations of alcohols.
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