Ahhhhhhhhh so it’s just the presence of a C-H bond which allows oxidation to occur obviously in tertiary the OH group is attached to a carbon bonded to 3 other carbons, ok ok thank youHyperfine said:Oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols require what is in essence the breaking of a C-H bond. Oxidation of a tertiary alcohol would require the breaking of a C-C bond.
Energetics strongly disfavor the latter process.
The oxidation of tertiary alcohols is generally more challenging compared to primary and secondary alcohols. This is because tertiary alcohols lack a hydrogen atom on the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group, which is typically required for oxidation. As a result, direct oxidation of tertiary alcohols often leads to cleavage of carbon-carbon bonds or requires harsh conditions and strong oxidizing agents.
Tertiary alcohols are resistant to oxidation because the carbon atom bonded to the hydroxyl group does not have a hydrogen atom that can be removed during the oxidation process. The absence of this hydrogen makes it difficult to form a carbonyl group, which is a common intermediate in the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols.
No, tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized to ketones or aldehydes directly. Instead, oxidation of tertiary alcohols usually leads to the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds, resulting in the formation of smaller molecules, or requires very strong oxidizing agents that can lead to complex mixtures of products.
Common oxidizing agents for the oxidation of tertiary alcohols include strong reagents such as chromic acid (H2CrO4), potassium permanganate (KMnO4), and concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). These agents are capable of breaking carbon-carbon bonds, leading to a variety of products including carboxylic acids, ketones, and carbon dioxide.
While direct oxidation of tertiary alcohols is not common in synthetic chemistry due to its complexity and harsh conditions, it can be used in specific industrial processes where breaking down complex molecules into simpler ones is desired. Additionally, understanding the oxidation behavior of tertiary alcohols is important in fields such as biochemistry and environmental science, where the degradation of organic compounds is studied.