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CAIE A-Level Chemistry 16.1.3 Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Alcohols

Practise classifying each –OH-bearing carbon and using oxidation or iodoform observations to distinguish alcohols.

Syllabus
2028–2030
Course
Chemistry 9701
Level
AS

Exam points

  • count carbon groups attached to the C–OH carbon to classify it as primary, secondary or tertiary
  • use acidified dichromate orange-to-green oxidation for primary and secondary but not tertiary alcohols
  • use alkaline iodine selectively for alcohols containing CH3CH(OH)– rather than as a universal class test

16.1.3—Classify alcohols as primary, secondary question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

Fig. 4.1 shows how propane, C3H8\mathrm{C}_{3} \mathrm{H}_{8}, can be converted to propanoic acid, CH3CH2COOH\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{COOH}.

Fig. 4.1

Fig. 4.1

Reaction 3 takes place when CH3CH2CH2OH\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{OH} is heated under reflux with acidified potassium dichromate(VI) solution.

State the colour change that takes place in the reaction mixture.

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