Final answer:
Acid chlorides and esters can be converted to alcohols through acid-catalyzed hydrolysis or through the use of hydride donors. Esters can also undergo basic hydrolysis. Aldehydes can be reduced to primary alcohols with reducing agents and are identifiable with mild oxidizing agents.
Step-by-step explanation:
To convert acid chlorides and esters to alcohols, reagents such as water in the presence of a strong acid (acid-catalyzed hydrolysis) or hydride donors like lithium aluminium hydride (LiAlH4) are used. For acid chlorides, the reaction is typically straightforward, as they are more reactive. Water will hydrolyze the acid chloride to form the corresponding alcohol and HCl.
Esters can be hydrolyzed under acidic or basic conditions to produce alcohols. Acidic hydrolysis involves using an excess of water and a strong acid to shift the equilibrium towards the alcohol product. In contrast, basic hydrolysis (saponification) utilizes hydroxide ions, resulting in an alcohol and a carboxylate salt.
The reduction of aldehydes (RCHO) to primary alcohols can be done using reducing agents like sodium borohydride (NaBH4) or LiAlH4. It’s worth mentioning that aldehydes are specifically identifiable from ketones and alcohols due to their higher reactivity towards mild oxidizing agents like Tollens' reagent, which forms a silver mirror in the presence of an aldehyde.