A chemist synthesises a substance using the following pathway - HSC - SSCE Chemistry - Question 13 - 2021 - Paper 1

To answer the question, we need to identify the correct pairings of compounds X, Y, and Z based on the hydration and oxidation processes:

1. Hydration of X to form Y: Hydration typically involves adding water to an alkene, converting it into an alcohol. Hence, for compound Y to be an alcohol, compound X should ideally be an alkene.

   • Given options A and B with propane (an alkane) would not react to form an alcohol through hydration.
   • Therefore, options C and D with prop-1-ene as X are more viable due to the nature of alkenes.

2. Oxidation of Y to form Z: The resulting compound Z must be a ketone or aldehyde after oxidation. Both propan-2-ol and propan-2-one can be formed from alcohols via oxidation.

   • In option C, propan-2-ol (formed from prop-1-ene) can be oxidized to form propan-2-one.

Conclusively, the only correct pairing that meets these conditions is:

X: prop-1-ene, Y: propan-2-ol, Z: propan-2-one.