Oxidation of 1-phenylethaneol yields which product?

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Multiple Choice

Oxidation of 1-phenylethaneol yields which product?

Oxidation of alcohols depends on the degree of the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group: primary alcohols go to aldehydes and then acids, while secondary alcohols go to ketones. In 1-phenylethanol, the carbon attached to the OH is bonded to a phenyl group on one side and a methyl group on the other. Oxidizing this center removes the two hydrogens to form a carbonyl, giving a ketone with those two substituents: acetophenone (phenyl methyl ketone, Ph-CO-CH3). The other options would require behaving like a primary alcohol (benzaldehyde) or involve broader oxidation patterns not produced from this secondary alcohol under typical conditions (ethylbenzene or benzoic acid). So the product is acetophenone.

Oxidation of alcohols depends on the degree of the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group: primary alcohols go to aldehydes and then acids, while secondary alcohols go to ketones. In 1-phenylethanol, the carbon attached to the OH is bonded to a phenyl group on one side and a methyl group on the other. Oxidizing this center removes the two hydrogens to form a carbonyl, giving a ketone with those two substituents: acetophenone (phenyl methyl ketone, Ph-CO-CH3). The other options would require behaving like a primary alcohol (benzaldehyde) or involve broader oxidation patterns not produced from this secondary alcohol under typical conditions (ethylbenzene or benzoic acid). So the product is acetophenone.

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