How do you convert primary alcohol to aldehyde?

1 Answer
anor277
Jun 19, 2016

By careful and controlled oxidation.

Explanation:

#RCH_2OH + [O] rarrRC(=O)H#

#[O]# represents an oxidizing agent, which are legion, but they tend to be indiscriminate. That is, the danger with this reaction is that complete oxidation to carboxylic acid may occur. There should be suggestions in your text.

I had a colleague, a very accomplished synthetic organic chemist, who routinely used to use potassium dichromate or permanganate for these sorts of oxidations (he didn't care which one he used, of course, they are very indiscriminate reagents). It wasn't something that I (a duffer) could do, but he used to monitor the reaction in real time by TLC, and quench the reaction at the appropriate time.

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