Chemistry · Ch 11 — Hydroxy Compounds and Ethers
Distinguishing Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Alcohols
11.4
Distinguishing Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Alcohols
Because primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols show different reactivity patterns, two classical wet-chemistry tests distinguish between them without needing spectroscopy: the Lucas test (based on differing rates of alkyl-chloride formation) and Victor Meyer's test (based …