Acid-Catalyzed Reactions of Alcohols
Acid-catalyzed reactions of alcohols involve the use of an acid catalyst to facilitate various chemical transformations of alcohol molecules.
Dehydration of Alcohols to Alkenes
Acid-catalyzed dehydration of alcohols leads to the removal of a water molecule to form an alkene. This reaction is typically carried out using a strong acid catalyst, such as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or phosphoric acid (H3PO4)
ROH → R=H(Alkene) + H2O
Conversion of Alcohols to Alkyl Halides
Hydrogen halides (HCl, HBr, HI) or thionyl chloride (SOCl2) in the presence of a typical Lewis acid catalyst such as zinc chloride (ZnCl2) react with alcohols to form alkyl halides. This transformation is an important step in organic synthesis as it helps to create alkyl halides- important intermediates for many reactions including nucleophilic substitution and elimination.
ROH + HX → RX + H2O
Rеaction of Alcohols – Equations, Examples, Uses
Alcohols are a class of organic compounds characterized by the presence of a hydroxyl (-OH) functional group attached to a carbon atom. Alcohols undergo various reactions such as oxidation, reduction, esterification , dehydration, substitution reaction to yield various compounds which are of important use.
In this article, we’re going to look into the reactions of alcohols along with their chemical equations and understand their applications for various uses.
Table of Content
- What is Alcohols in Chemistry?
- Common Reactions of Alcohols
- Acid-Catalyzed Reactions of Alcohols
- Alcohols in Organic Synthesis
- Special Cases and Reactions of Phenols
- Uses of Alcohol Reactions