Oxidation of Primary Alcohol

Understanding Oxidation:

• In chemistry, we use oxidation as a term to describe a specific type of chemical reaction. Oxidation involves changes in the O
  (oxygen to hydrogen) ratio within a molecule.
• To better understand this concept, let's explore the oxidation of ethanol, a primary alcohol.

Ethanol Oxidation:

• Ethanol ($C_2H_5OH$) is a primary alcohol. When it undergoes oxidation, it experiences a change in its O
  ratio.
• In the first step of oxidation, ethanol is oxidised to produce ethanal (also known as acetaldehyde) by removing two hydrogen atoms. This process involves breaking carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds and forming a carbon-oxygen (C=O) double bond:
• Equation: $CH_3CH_2OH$ (Ethanol) → $CH_3CHO$ (Ethanal) + H2
• The O
  ratio changes from 1:6 in ethanol to 1:4 in ethanal. This change signifies the oxidation process.
• In the second step, ethanal is further oxidised to produce ethanoic acid (also known as acetic acid) by adding an oxygen atom. This involves breaking the carbon-oxygen (C=O) double bond in ethanal and forming two carbon-oxygen (C-O) single bonds:
• Equation: $CH_3CHO$ (Ethanal) + O2 → $CH_3COOH$ (Ethanoic Acid)
• As a result, the O
  ratio changes from 1:4 in ethanal to 1:2 in ethanoic acid.

Conclusion:

• The oxidation of a primary alcohol, such as ethanol, involves a sequence of chemical reactions.
• It begins with the conversion of the alcohol into an aldehyde (ethanol to ethanal) by removing hydrogen atoms, followed by further oxidation to produce a carboxylic acid (ethanal to ethanoic acid) by adding oxygen atoms.
• The change in the O
  ratio from 1:6 (ethanol) to 1:4 (ethanal) to 1:2 (ethanoic acid) serves as a clear indicator of the oxidation process.