Question

Color of secondary alcohol in Victor Mayer’s Test is :
A. Blue
B. Red
C. Green
D. No Color

Answer 1

Victor Mayer’s Test is used to distinguish different types of alcohols. One reaction with Victor Mayer’s reagent primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols will give different colors. So, based on the different colors we can easily identify the primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols.

Complete Solution :
- In the question it is given that the color of the secondary alcohol in Victor Mayer’s Test is.
- Victor Mayer’s test contains three steps.
- In the first step the alcohol is going to react with red phosphorus and iodine and produces Iodo alkane as the product.
- The chemical reaction of the first step is as follows.
$\underset{Alcohol}{\mathop{\text{R-OH}}}\,\xrightarrow{\text{Red phosphorus +}{{\text{I}}_{\text{2}}}}\underset{\text{Iodo alkane}}{\mathop{\text{R-I}}}\,$
- In the second step the formed Iodo alkane in the first step reacts with Silver nitrate and produces nitro alkane as the product.
- The chemical reaction of Iodo alkane with silver nitrate is as follows.
$\underset{\text{Iodo alkane}}{\mathop{\text{R-I}}}\,\xrightarrow{\text{AgN}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}}\underset{\text{Nitro alkane}}{\mathop{\text{R-N}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}}}\,$
- In the third step the nitro alkane formed in the second step reacts with nitrous acid (mixture of sodium nitrate and hydrochloric acid).
- The chemical reaction of nitroalkane with nitrous acid is as follows.
$\text{R-N}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}\xrightarrow{\text{HN}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}}\text{Nitrolic acid or Psedonitriol}$
- Make the above solution into alkaline then we will get a color based on the type of alcohol.
- If we start the reaction with primary alcohol then we will get Blood red color solution.
- If we start the reaction with secondary alcohol then we will get Blue color solution.
- If we start the reaction with tertiary alcohol then we will get colorless solution.

So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note: By using Victor Mayer’s Test we can differentiate the given alcohol is a primary of secondary or tertiary. In the determination of functional groups of the organic compound Victor Mayer’s Test plays a good role.