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Oxidation of Alcohols Calculator

Alcohols oxidized to aldehydes, ketones, or carboxylic acids.

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Aldehyde

Formula first

Overview

Oxidation of alcohols involves the transformation of a hydroxyl-bearing carbon into a carbonyl or carboxyl group through the removal of hydrogen or addition of oxygen. Primary alcohols follow a two-stage oxidation path to form aldehydes and then carboxylic acids, whereas secondary alcohols yield ketones.

Symbols

Variables

Alcohol = Alcohol, Aldehyde = Aldehyde, Acid = Carboxylic Acid, Ketone = Ketone

Alcohol
Alcohol
mol
Aldehyde
Aldehyde
mol
Acid
Carboxylic Acid
mol
Ketone
Ketone
mol

Apply it well

When To Use

When to use: This sequence is applied when identifying the structure of an unknown alcohol or synthesizing carbonyl compounds in a laboratory. It assumes the presence of a strong or mild oxidizing agent, such as potassium dichromate or pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC), depending on the desired product.

Why it matters: This process is vital for industrial chemical synthesis, such as producing vinegar from ethanol, and is the basis for metabolic pathways in the body. It also facilitates forensic testing through chemical color changes in breathalyzer devices.

Avoid these traps

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting distillation for aldehyde.
  • Trying to oxidize tertiary alcohols.
  • Wrong color change observation.

One free problem

Practice Problem

A student performs the full oxidation of 92.14 grams of ethanol (alcohol) using excess acidified potassium dichromate under reflux. Calculate the mass of the resulting ethanoic acid (acid) produced, assuming a 100% yield.

Alcohol92.14 mol

Solve for: acid

Hint: Ethanol (C₂H₆O) has a molar mass of approximately 46.07 g/mol, and ethanoic acid (C₂H₄O₂) is approximately 60.06 g/mol.

The full worked solution stays in the interactive walkthrough.

References

Sources

  1. IUPAC Gold Book: alcohol, aldehyde, carboxylic acid, ketone, oxidation
  2. Organic Chemistry by John McMurry
  3. Wikipedia: Oxidation of alcohols
  4. IUPAC Gold Book
  5. Atkins' Physical Chemistry
  6. Wikipedia: Alcohol oxidation
  7. Clayden, J., Greeves, N., & Warren, S. (2012). Organic Chemistry (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  8. McMurry, J. (2016). Organic Chemistry (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.