Name: Preparation of Alcohols
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 43 s
Description: Alcohol is a psychosomatic drug and it is bad for health if consumed. However, it is a useful organic solvent in chemistry labs. Tune in to learn more about...

Question

Write preparation methods of methyl alcohol from formaldehyde and methyl acetate. Write chemical equations for the reactions of methyl alcohol with Grignard reagent and oxalic acid. Also write its main uses.

Accepted Answer

Formaldehyde is reduced to methyl alcohol by use of a reducing agent. Reducing agent helps in addition of hydrogen atoms or removal of oxygen atoms. In the given conversion, Hydrogen needs to be introduced so, we use as a reducing agent.

$HCHO \overset{Ni / H_{2}}{\to} {CH}_{3} OH$ .

Methyl acetate undergoes hydrolysis, in the presence of an acid to give acetic acid and methyl alcohol. In the presence of an acid, this reaction should be of second order, since two molecules are reacting.

${CH}_{3} {COOCH}_{3} + H_{2} O \overset{H^{+}}{\to} {CH}_{3} COOH + {CH}_{3} OH$ .

A Grignard reagent will be decomposed to give the corresponding alkane when it comes in contact with alcohols. For instance, methyl magnesium bromide on treatment with methanol or ethanol will liberate methane gas.

${CH}_{3} MgBr + {CH}_{3} OH \to {CH}_{4} + MgBr ({OCH}_{3})$ .

When methanol reacts with oxalic acid produces dimethyloxalate as follows,

$2 {CH}_{3} OH + HOOC - COOH \to H_{3} COOC - {COOCH}_{3} + 2 H_{2} O$ .

Methanol is a chemical building block for hundreds of everyday products, including plastics, paints, car parts and construction materials. Methanol also is a clean energy resource used to fuel cars, trucks, buses, ships, fuel cells, boilers and cook stoves.

Write preparation methods of methyl alcohol from formaldehyde and methyl acetate. Write chemical equations for the reactions of methyl alcohol with Grignard reagent and oxalic acid. Also write its main uses.

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