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Where do you see the N-H stretch of a primary alcohol?

User Stumped
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Final answer:

Primary alcohols exhibit a broad O-H stretch signal in IR spectroscopy around 3400 cm⁻¹, not an N-H stretch, as they do not contain nitrogen. The presence of an O-H stretch is a key identifier of alcohols in IR spectra.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question appears to be asking about the infrared (IR) spectroscopy characteristics of primary alcohol and where the N-H stretch would be observed. However, this seems to be a misunderstanding, as primary alcohols do not typically exhibit an N-H stretch, since they do not contain nitrogen in their structure. Instead, they possess an O-H stretch. Primary alcohols, such as 1-propanol, display an O-H stretch signal in IR spectroscopy.

This absorbance is due to the hydroxyl (O-H) group and is characteristically broad and strong, typically appearing around 3400 cm⁻¹. Oxidation of primary alcohol initially leads to the formation of an aldehyde and can further oxidize to a carboxylic acid, which also has a broad O-H stretch slightly shifted due to hydrogen bonding with the carbonyl group.

User Lightalloy
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