ALCOHOLS

Activity no. 5
Objectives:
a.) To differentiate primary, secondary and tertiary
alcohols.
b.) To distinguish the different classes of alcohols
based on Lucas test.
c.)To classify the alcohols based on chromic acid test
Results and Discussions
Name of the Test Reagents Results Explanation

I. Chromic acid
test
Ethyl alcohol



N-butyl




Sec-butyl



Tert-butyl




5% Potassium
dichromate and
sulfuric acid



-Ethyl alcohol took 15
sec to change the
color from orange to
blue green.

-n-butyl 30 sec, clear
on top, Blue green at
the bottom

-sec-butyl 15sec,
blue green.


-tert-butyl does not
change color.



Ethyl takes only 15
seconds to change
color because it is a
primary alcohols .

N-butyl is also a
primary alcohols.

Sec-butyl is a
secondary alcohols.


Tert butyl is a
tertiary alcohols.
Discussions:
Chromic acid test
-Used as a qualitative analytical test for the presence of primary
and secondary alcohols. Primary alcohols are oxidized to
carboxylic acid and secondary alcohols are oxidized to ketones
while tertiary alcohols there is no reaction. In this test, 5%
potassium dichromate and sulfuric acid removed the hydrogen
from the -OH group, and a hydrogen from the carbon atom
attached to the -OH. Tertiary alcohols don't have a hydrogen
atom attached to that carbon.
Table and Results
Name of the
test
Reagents Results Explanation
II. Lucas test
Tert butyl


Sec butyl
alcohol

N-butyl alcohol

Benzyl
Lucas Reagents
Cloudy

5 minutes,
cloudy

Do not react

Cloudy

Tertiary

Secondary


Primary

tertiary
Discussion:


In this test, Tertiary alcohols react immediately with Lucas
reagent as evidenced by turbidity owing to the low solubility of the
organic chloride in the aqueous mixture. Secondary alcohols react
within five or so minutes (depending on their solubility). Primary
alcohols do not react appreciably with Lucas reagent at room
temperature. Hence, the time taken for turbidity to appear is a
measure of the reactivity of the class of alcohol, and this time
difference is used to differentiate between the three classes of
alcohols.
- Tert-butyl and benzyl is a tertiary alcohols because it became
cloudy in just a seconds, sec-butyl is a secondary alcohols
because it takes 5 minutes to become cloudy. And n- butyl do not
react therefore it is a primary alcohols.
Table and Results
Name of the
test
Reagents Results Explanation
III. Esterification
Ethyl Alcohol


Tert- butyl
alcohol

Acetic Acid and
conc. Sulfuric
acid

30 seconds,
strong pleasant
odor

35 seconds,
mild odor

The odor of the
vapor tells that
theres an ester
formed.
Discussion:
Esterification
- The process in which an alcohol and an acid are converted to an
ester and water.
- Acetic acid reacts with ethyl alcohol in the presence of concentrated
sulphuric acid as a catalyst to produce the ester, ethyl ethanoate. The
reaction is slow and reversible. To reduce the chances of the reverse
reaction happening, the ester is distilled off as soon as it is formed.
- Tertiary alcohols don't work well with Fischer Esterification to yield a
ester.
Table and Results
Name of the
test
Reagents Results Explanation
IV. Special test
for methyl
alcohol
Water,
resorcinol, conc.
Sulfuric Acid.
It is hot in
temperature with
three layers,
colorless,
reddish, and
light brown layer
at the bottom.

Methyl alcohol is
soluble in water
thats why it
formed 3 layers.
Table and Results
Name of the
test
Reagents Results Explanation
V. Iodoform test

Ethyl alcohol



Isopropyl alcohol


Methyl alcohol




10% drop of NaCl


Produced a yellow
precipitate


Produced a yellow
precipitate

When added with
NaOH the color
became light and
when put in hot water
it became colorless.


Pale yellow
precipitate of idoform
is given by an alcohol
contains the grouping
CH
3
CH-OH
R
Discussion:
Ethyl alcohol is the only primary alcohol to give the
iodoform reaction. If "R" is a hydrocarbon group, then you
have a secondary alcohol. Lots of secondary alcohols
give this reaction, but those that do all have a methyl
group attached to the carbon with the -OH group.
No tertiary alcohols can contain this group because no
tertiary alcohols can have a hydrogen atom attached to
the carbon with the -OH group. No tertiary alcohols give
positive test to the iodoform reaction.

Table and results
Name of the
test
Reagents Results Explanation
VI. Acrolein test

Glycerol


KHSO4
(Potassium
Bisulfite)


Pungent odor


KHSO4 produce
an unsaturated
aldehyde called
acrolein from the
glycerol.acrolein
is recognised by
its pungent
odour forms
basis of test for
the presence of
glycerol.
Discussion:
The importance of the acrolein test is to find out whether
there is a presence of glycerin or fats in a compound.
The method to perform the test is to heat a sample with
potassium bisulfate. The test is positive if acrolein is
released.
Answers to Questions

1.) What are the classes of alcohol based on the alkyl groups in them? Differentiate them
through their general formulas.
-The classes of the alcohol based on the alkyl groups are the primary, secondary, and
tertiary.





2.) Compare the relative ease oxidation primary, secondary, and tertiary butyl alcohol toward
acid dichromatic based on the time required for the solution to change color.
- Primary and secondary alcohols are oxidized rapidly to acids and ketones, respectively by
Cr+6 and the appearance of green color due to the reduced Cr+3 ion. Tertiary alcohols are not
easily oxidized, (however, over time in an acidic environment, they are dehydrated to alkanes).




3.) What is the significance of the Lucas test?
- In Lucas test, we use the Lucas reagent. Lucas reagent is a solution of zinc chloride in
concentrated hydrochloric acid, used to classify alcohols of low molecular weight. So the significance of
this test is that, we can classify if a compound is a primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohol.

4.) How will you distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol?
- Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol) is the portable form of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Ethyl alcohol is
obtained from the fermentation of sugars and starches, unlike methanol (methyl alcohol), which is
industrial solvent, is poison when swallowed.

5.) What is responsible for the characteristics odor of the acrolein test?
- The responsible for the characteristic odor of the acrolein test is to distinguish what odor it is, if it is
strong or mild odor.

6.) Give one important commercial method of preparing ethyl alcohol in the Philippines. Write the
chemical reaction involved.
- One important commercial method of preparing ethyl alcohol is making a wine form grapes. The
chemical reaction involved is, (sugar) C6H12O6 -> 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2

Conclusion:
We therefore conclude that based on chromic acid test,
Ethyl Alcohol and n-butyl are primary alcohols because it
oxidized to carboxylic acid and sec- butyl is a secondary
alcohol because it oxidized to ketones. Tert-butyl is a
tertiary alcohol, it does not react because of the absence
of alpha hydrogen. Based on lucas test, Tertiary alcohols
react immediately with lucas reagent, secondary alcohols
takes 5 minutes or more to react with the reagent and
primary alcohol do not react at all. In this experiment, we
are able to differentiate the classes of alcohols based on
the alkyl groups. Primary alcohols are attached to 1
carbon atom, secondary alcohols are attached to two
carbon atoms and tertiary alcohols are attached to three
carbon atoms.
GROUP 6
Abdurahman, Raiza Ayana I.
Paharul, Nurfaina A.
Tagayan, Arlyn H.