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Dehydration of an unknown alcohol with concentrated H₂SO₄ results in the formation of all of the following alkene products. What is/are the possible structures of the original alcohol?

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Final answer:

Without the specific alkene products being identified, it's difficult to provide the exact structure of the original alcohol. However, ethanol and isopropanol are examples of alcohols that could dehydrate to form alkenes under the influence of concentrated H₂SO₄ at high temperatures. The exact alkene formed depends on the structure of the alcohol and the conditions of the reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The dehydration of an unknown alcohol with concentrated H₂SO₄ can lead to the formation of alkenes. When the reaction is carried out at high temperatures (around 180 degrees Celsius) and with excess acid, the typical product is an alkene along with water. Ethanol, for example, dehydrates to form ethylene (ethene) and water under these conditions. However, when this dehydration reaction occurs at lower temperatures (around 140 degrees Celsius) with an excess of alcohol, ethers such as diethyl ether can be formed instead of alkenes. The chemical reactions are specific to the type of alcohol reacting and the reaction conditions.

Therefore, the possible structures of the original alcohol that could yield all the mentioned alkene products upon dehydration would include primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols. The exact structure would depend on the specific alkene products mentioned in the question, which is not provided here. However, given the generic description, alcohols like ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH), isopropanol ((CH₃)₂CHOH), and other similar structures could possibly be the unknown original alcohol. It's important to note that secondary and tertiary alcohols dehydrate more easily than primary alcohols, and the resulting alkene distribution would conform to the rule of Zaitsev, where the more substituted alkene is generally the major product.

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