Q.(a) Write the chemical equations to illustrate the following name reactions:
You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Two named reactions, an iodoform-test comparison, and two acidity/reactivity explanations on the main branch; five short reagent-driven product predictions on the OR branch.
(a)(i) Rosenmund's reduction: an acid chloride is selectively reduced to an aldehyde using hydrogen gas over a palladium catalyst supported on barium sulphate, poisoned with sulphur/quinoline to prevent further reduction to the alcohol:
(a)(ii) Cannizzaro's reaction: an aldehyde lacking an -hydrogen, when treated with concentrated alkali, undergoes self oxidation-reduction (disproportionation): one molecule is reduced to the primary alcohol while another is oxidised to the carboxylate salt:
(equivalently, for benzaldehyde: )
(b) Iodoform test — pentan-3-one vs pentan-2-one: the iodoform test is positive only for compounds containing a methyl ketone group, (or a group oxidisable to it, like ). Pentan-2-one, , has a group directly attached to the carbonyl carbon, so it gives a positive iodoform test (yellow precipitate of ). Pentan-3-one, , has only ethyl (not methyl) groups flanking the carbonyl carbon, so it does not give the iodoform test.
(c)(i) is a stronger acid than : chlorine is strongly electronegative and exerts an electron-withdrawing inductive () effect. This pulls electron density away from the carboxylate group in the conjugate base , helping disperse/stabilize its negative charge, which makes the conjugate base more stable and hence chloroacetic acid a stronger acid. In acetic acid, the methyl group's (electron-donating) effect instead destabilizes the conjugate base by intensifying its negative charge, making acetic acid comparatively weaker.
(c)(ii) Carboxylic acids do not give typical carbonyl-group reactions: in a carboxylic acid, the lone pair on the hydroxyl oxygen is delocalized (via resonance) into the adjacent carbonyl -system, spreading the 's partial positive charge and making the carbonyl carbon less electrophilic than in a simple aldehyde/ketone. Because of this resonance stabilization of the whole group, carboxylic acids react as a unit (via ionization, esterification, etc.) rather than showing the nucleophilic-addition-type reactions (e.g., with , , 2,4-DNP) that are typical of the isolated carbonyl group in aldehydes and ketones.
OR — five reagent-based conversions:
(i) Cyclohexanone with hydroxylamine, under acid catalysis, undergoes nucleophilic addition-elimination (condensation) to form cyclohexanone oxime:
…
Unlock everything free for 14 days
- Full step-by-step solutions
- Concept-first explanations
- Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.