7 If upon adding an alcohol to chromic acid the solution rem

7. If upon adding an alcohol to chromic acid the solution remained orange what could you conclude about the class of the alcohol? (6 points)

Solution

A primary or a secondary alcohol undergo oxidation when chromic acid is added to them. A primary alcohol oxidizes into an aldehyde while a secondary alcohol oxidizes to a ketone. It is detected by a color change from orange-red to green. A tertiary alcohol, on the other hand, does not undergo oxidation. So, a tertiary alcohol does not show this color change when chromic acid is added.

Since the orange color of chromic acid solution remained unchange, the alcohol is not undoergoing any oxidation. So, the given alcohol is a tertiary alcohol.