Oxidation of a secondary alcohol yields which type of compound?

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Multiple Choice

Oxidation of a secondary alcohol yields which type of compound?

Oxidation of an alcohol involves turning the C–OH group into a C=O group. For a secondary alcohol, the carbon that carries the OH is attached to two carbon substituents. When it becomes a carbonyl, that same carbon is double-bonded to oxygen and still bonded to two carbons, which is the defining feature of a ketone. A clear example is 2-propanol converting to acetone. In contrast, a primary alcohol tends to form an aldehyde first (and can be further oxidized to a carboxylic acid), while a tertiary alcohol doesn’t form a simple aldehyde or ketone under standard oxidation. So the product is a ketone.

Oxidation of an alcohol involves turning the C–OH group into a C=O group. For a secondary alcohol, the carbon that carries the OH is attached to two carbon substituents. When it becomes a carbonyl, that same carbon is double-bonded to oxygen and still bonded to two carbons, which is the defining feature of a ketone. A clear example is 2-propanol converting to acetone. In contrast, a primary alcohol tends to form an aldehyde first (and can be further oxidized to a carboxylic acid), while a tertiary alcohol doesn’t form a simple aldehyde or ketone under standard oxidation. So the product is a ketone.

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