Question

What happens when ethanol is oxidized with chromic anhydride in glacial ethanoic acid?

Answer 1

Oxidizing agent

• Any substance which combines with an oxygen atom and loses the hydrogen atom to form any substance.
• Oxidizing agent can also be defined as the process of losing an electron.

Ethanol with chromic anhydride

• When ethanol represented by chemical formula ${\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5\mathrm{OH}$ is treated with chromic anhydrous (${\mathrm{CrO}}_3$) in the presence of glacial ethanoic acid $\left({\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COOH}\right)$, ethanal (also known as acetaldehyde) represented by the chemical formula ${\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{CHO}$ is produced.
• The product is created when ethanol undergoes a partial oxidation process. The following is an example of a reaction:

${\mathrm{CH}}_3{\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{OH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)\underset{{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COOH}}{\overset{{\mathrm{CrO}}_3}{\to }}{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{CHO}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)$

• The chromic anhydride oxidizes ethanol to ethanal by removing water.