Colorful Oxidation of Alcohol
Source: Summerlin, L. R., Borgford, C. L., and Ealy, J. B. (1987)
Chemical Demonstrations: A Source Book for Teachers Volume 2. p. 210.
Description: When a yellow solution, K2CrO7, is added to three different alcohols, the solution turns blue in two of the alcohols and remains yellow in one.
Concept: Potassium dichromate will oxidize propyl alcohol and sec-butyl alcohol, but not tert-butyl alcohol. Primary and secondary alcohols are easily oxidized. The carbons holding the OH groups in propyl and sec-butyl alcohol are also holding at least one hydrogen. This hydrogen is removed by the oxidizing agent along with the H from the hydroxyl group leaving a carbonyl group and forming water.
Materials:
0.015 M K2Cr2O7 in 3 M H2SO4
propyl alcohol (1-propanol)
sec-butyl alcohol (2-butanol)
tert-butyl alcohol (2-methyl-2-propanol)
three large test tubes
25 mL graduated cylinder
Stirring rods
Safety: Wear safety goggles and gloves. Sulfuric acid is irritating. Potassium dichromate is extremely destructive to the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. Exposure could be fatal. Also it is a carcinogen.
Procedure:
Add about 25 mL of each alcohol to the large test tubes.
Add 25 mL of the K2Cr2O7 solution to each tube and stir quickly.
Clean-Up: Collect the contents of the test tubes in a waste bottle, label a waste tag, and take to EH&S collection site.
Notes:
This demo has never been done in class. It was requested by Prof. Richardson for C102.
See diagram next page for information about the reactions.
The aldehyde would be further oxidized to form a carboxylic acid. The ketone would not be further oxidized. Another demo in this manual, The Silver Mirror (Tollen's Test for Aldehydes) illustrates this principle
12-2
UNIT 4 繽紛世界 A COLORFUL LIFE READING 1 一如往常,AMBER又晚起了,且她必須跑得夠快,才能趕上黃色的校車。幸運地,她正準備過馬路時綠燈亮了,所以她趕上了。當校車經過麥當勞的金黃色拱型招
UTICA DAILY PRESS THURSDAY AUG 15 1946 COLORFUL PARADE
Tags: alcohol source:, each alcohol, source, summerlin, oxidation, colorful, alcohol