How can aldehydes and ketones be produced from alcohols?

1 Answer
anor277
Mar 12, 2016

By oxidation of the alcohol; usually you don't have to try too hard.

Explanation:

Primary alcohols, #1^@# alcohols, #R_1CH_2OH# oxidize to (i) the aldehyde, #R_1C(=O)H#, and then to the carboxylic acid, #R_1CO_2H#. Normally, it is hard to stop oxidation at the aldehyde.

Secondary alcohols, #2^@# alcohols, #R_1CH(OH)R_2#, oxidize to give the ketone #R_1C(=O)R_2#, and normally stop at this stage. Ketones tend to be a lot more robust under oxidative conditions.

Why should we want to make aldehydes and ketones? Well, they open the possibility of #C-C# bond formation with anionic carbon residues.

Tertiary alcohols, , #3^@# alcohols, #R_1C(OH)R_2R_3#, are inert to oxidation.

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