Question

Chromic acid, H2CrO4, is a strong oxidizing agent that oxidizes primary and secondary alcohols into carboxylic acids and ketones, respectively. Which technique would be most useful for monitoring the progress of the reaction

Answer 1

Thin-layer chromatography

Step-by-step explanation:

Here in this question, we are concerned with giving the best technique that could be use for monitoring the progress of the reaction that involves the oxidation of alcohols.

The most useful technique here for monitoring the progress of the reaction would be the thin layer chromatography.

Firstly, we should know the reason why we are using a chromatographic technique. This is intuitive. The reason is that the oxidizing agent being used is a colored substance. So basically, the progress of the oxidation reaction would solely rest on the fact that we have a decrease in color saturation of the said oxidizing agent.

This is best done using the thin layer chromatography because we have a mobile phase that moves quickly over the stationary phase and asides this, it moves evenly.

This makes the fact that color changes can be quickly and easily identified and we can tell if the oxidation reaction has gone to completion or not