Question

Sort the following molecules (A to E) based on the oxidation of the carbon atom, from higher to lower oxidation states. Your answer would be a five-letter string composed of letters A to E only, e.g. ADCBE. Put the letter corresponding to the highest oxidation level on the left.

Answer 1

To sort the molecules based on the oxidation of the carbon atom, we need to identify the carbon atom in each molecule that is most oxidized. Acetic acid has the highest oxidation state (+3), followed by 1,1-dichloroethan-1-ol (+2), methanol and carbamic acid (+1), and formaldehyde (0).

Step-by-step explanation:

The oxidation states of carbon atoms in organic compounds can be determined by following certain rules. In this case, we are asked to sort the molecules based on the oxidation state of the carbon atom. To do this, we need to identify the carbon atom in each molecule that is most oxidized (highest oxidation state) and sort the molecules accordingly.

1. Acetic acid (E) has the highest oxidation state of the marked carbon atom (+3).
2. 1,1-dichloroethan-1-ol (D) has the next highest oxidation state of the marked carbon atom (+2).
3. Methanol (A) and Carbamic acid (C) have the same oxidation state of the marked carbon atom (+1).
4. Formaldehyde (B) has the lowest oxidation state of the marked carbon atom (0).