Which reaction could yield this compound as the major product? The product is propanal
a. oxidation of propanoic acid, CH3CH2COOH
b. oxidation of propanol, CH3CH2CH2OH
c. reduction of propanol, CH3CH2CH2OH
d. oxidation of 2-butanone, CH3CH2C(O)CH3
Oxidation of an alcohol will produce two possible products; i.e., an aldehyde or a ketone. The aldehyde is just half way and the ketone is all the way. So which you get depends upon how strong the oxidizing agent is. I think the answer to your question is b.
To determine which reaction could yield propanal as the major product, we need to consider the functional groups and the nature of the reactions involved.
Propanal is an aldehyde, which contains the carbonyl group (-C=O) at the end of the carbon chain. Let's analyze the given options and their possible outcomes:
a. Oxidation of propanoic acid (CH3CH2COOH):
When propanoic acid is oxidized, the carbonyl group is converted into a carboxylic acid (-COOH). Therefore, this reaction does not yield propanal as the major product and can be excluded.
b. Oxidation of propanol (CH3CH2CH2OH):
In this reaction, the alcohol functional group (-OH) is oxidized to a carbonyl group (-C=O). However, the product formed from the oxidation of propanol is propanaldehyde (also known as propionaldehyde), which has an extra hydrogen atom attached to the carbonyl carbon. Therefore, propanal is not the major product obtained from the oxidation of propanol.
c. Reduction of propanol (CH3CH2CH2OH):
In the reduction reaction of propanol, the carbonyl group is converted into a hydroxyl group (-OH), resulting in the formation of propanol itself. Therefore, this reaction does not produce propanal as the major product and can also be excluded.
d. Oxidation of 2-butanone (CH3CH2C(O)CH3):
The oxidation of 2-butanone involves the conversion of a ketone functional group (-C=O) into a carboxylic acid (-COOH) group. As a result, the major product obtained from this reaction will not be propanal. Therefore, option (d) can also be excluded.
In conclusion, none of the given options can yield propanal as the major product.