Question

Name the following:

The process of removal of water from organic compounds.

Answer 1

1. Removal of water can be done with the help of sulphuric acid.
2. Organic compounds and Organic acids are dehydrated in the presence of Sulphuric acid.
3. Sulphuric acid has the capability to remove water molecules and has a higher affinity with water.
4. The process of removing the water molecules is so-called Dehydration.
5. For better understanding, taking an example of Ethanol reacting with Sulphuric acid as follows:
   $\underset{\left(\mathrm{Ethanol}\right)}{{\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5\mathrm{OH}\left(aq\right)}\underset{{170}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}}{\overset{{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4}{\to }}\underset{\left(\mathrm{Ethylene}\right)}{{\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_4\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)$
6. The reaction requires a certain temperature of about ${170}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$
7. Hence we conclude that removal of water molecules from organic compounds is so called dehydration.