Solveeit Logo
Login

Question

Chemistry Question on Uses of Aldehydes and Ketones

Treatment of acetaldehyde with ethyl magnesium bromide and subsequent hydrolysis gives

A

11-butanol

B

22-butanol

C

11-propanol

D

tert-butanol

Answer

22-butanol

Explanation

Solution

Grignard reagent reaction with aldehydes gives organo-metallic compounds that form tertiary alcohol upon hydrolysis treatment.

  • Step 1: Acetaldehyde (ethanal) reacts with methyl magnesium bromide (Grignard Reagent) and results in an unstable adduct.
  • Step 2: Hydrolysis of the product formed in the previous step gives us butanol-2 as the final product.

Ethyl magnesium bromide, CH3CH2MgBr , is a Grignard reagent. The reaction between ethyl magnesium bromide and acetaldehyde will result in butanol-2, a secondary alcohol, as the final product.

CH3CHO + CH3CH2MgB → CH3CH(OMgBr)CH2CH3

CH3CH(OMgBr)CH2CH3 + H2O → CH3CH(OH)CH2CH3 + Mg(OH)Br

Therefore, by reacting ethyl magnesium bromide with acetaldehyde, butanol-2 can be obtained.