MCQ Detailed View

Oxidation is one of the most important reactions in alcohol chemistry. Alcohols are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary depending on the number of carbon atoms attached to the hydroxyl-bearing carbon. A secondary alcohol is an alcohol where the hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to a carbon atom that is connected to two other carbon atoms.

When a secondary alcohol is oxidized using an oxidizing agent such as potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇) or potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) in acidic conditions, it produces a ketone. During this reaction, two hydrogen atoms are removed: one from the hydroxyl group and one from the carbon atom bonded to the hydroxyl group. This leads to the formation of a carbonyl group (C=O) at that position, resulting in a ketone.

For example:
CH3-CHOH-CH3 (Isopropanol) → [O] → CH3-CO-CH3 (Acetone)

In this reaction, isopropanol (a secondary alcohol) gets oxidized to acetone (a ketone). Unlike primary alcohols, secondary alcohols do not oxidize further to form carboxylic acids under normal conditions because they lack a hydrogen atom on the carbon bonded to the oxygen necessary for further oxidation.

The other given options are not correct:

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  Alkane: Oxidation does not produce an alkane; oxidation involves adding oxygen or removing hydrogen.

  
  


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  Carboxylic acid: Produced from the oxidation of primary alcohols, not secondary alcohols.

  
  


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  Acetylene: An alkyne hydrocarbon, not related to this reaction.

  
  

This reaction is widely studied in organic chemistry because it demonstrates how functional groups can be transformed. Ketone formation from secondary alcohols is used in laboratory synthesis, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, and solvent production. Understanding this process is fundamental to learning reaction mechanisms of alcohols.