5 Types of Alkanol Reactions

We’re going to take a look at some different types of alkanol reactions. Starting with dehydration, which we can call elimination. Now with dehydration, the products formed depend on the conditions used. For example, alkenes are formed in the presence of sulfuric acid. Now phosphoric acid is better, since it does not produce as many bi-products.

The correct temperature is also important, because hot is used for primary, warm for secondary, and cool for tertiary, and then alcohols actually lose a water molecule, in the process of dehydration. Now, with oxidation, the products depend on the type of alcohol used– primary, secondary, or tertiary. For primary and secondary, a double bond between carbon and oxygen replaces a single bond between carbon and hydroxide.

This bond will either be at the end of the carbon chain, which would make it an aldehyde, or in the middle of the carbon chain, making it a ketone. Aldehydes can be further oxidized to form carboxylic acids. Tertiary alcohols will not oxidize.

Now we come to substitution, which is usually not very important for the alcohols, except for halogenation using phosphorus pentachloride. Substitution may be used as an identifying test for the alcoholic group. Then a reaction with active metals is just what it sounds like.

When alcohols react with active metals (and in that) they release hydrogen, so this also may be used as an identifying test for alcohols. Now esterification is a reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid, and this forms an ester link, (which looks like this) and this holds two carbon chains together. Now the conditions required for this reaction are concentrated sulfuric acid, and elevated temperatures.