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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 …