Final answer:
When a primary alcohol is treated with H+/Cr2O72- as an oxidizing agent and heat, it undergoes oxidation to form a carboxylic acid. The primary alcohol is first converted into an aldehyde, which is then further oxidized to a carboxylic acid under the reaction conditions provided.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves a chemical reaction where a primary alcohol is treated with an oxidizing agent, specifically H+/Cr2O72- catalyst under heat. The correct answer is (a) Oxidation to carboxylic acid. This occurs because primary alcohols can be oxidized first to aldehydes and then further to carboxylic acids when the oxidizing conditions are strong enough, such as with a chromium-based oxidant like dichromate in an acidic environment.
The reaction for a primary alcohol, such as ethanol, would be the formation of an aldehyde (acetaldehyde) initially, which can further oxidize to form a carboxylic acid (acetic acid) as follows:
CH3CH2OH + [O] → CH3CHO + [O] → CH3COOH