Dehydration to alkenes

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Created by
Sophie Grainger

Cards (3)

  • Alcohols can be dehydrated to alkenes using concentrated phosphoric acid. This reaction is known as dehydration because water is the only inorganic product.
  • An example of an alcohol being dehydrated to an alkene is the dehydration reaction of butan-2-ol. The dehydration reaction of butan-2-ol produces three products : but-1-ene, and two E/Z isomers of but-2-ene.
  • The dehydration of butan-2-ol (CH3CH(OH)CH2CH3) produces but-1-ene (CH2=CHCH2CH3), two E/Z isomers of but-2-ene (CH3CH=CHCH3) and H2O.