Alcohols and Their Reactions

What is the main difference in toxicity between ethanol and methanol when consumed?

• Ethanol is always more toxic than methanol.

• Methanol is converted into a highly toxic acid in the body, unlike ethanol.

• Both are equally toxic, but methanol tastes worse.

• Ethanol causes blindness, while methanol causes tipsiness.

How do alcohols in hand sanitizers help kill germs?

• They make germs feel tipsy and unable to function.

• They destroy the outer protective layers of viruses and bacteria.

• They add water to the germs, causing them to burst.

• They destroy the proteins that make up the outer shells of viruses and bacteria.

Alcohols can be used as a starting point to create which of the following types of organic compounds?

• Sugars and starches.

• Ethers and epoxides.

• Metals and alloys.

• Salts and acids.

Why is it sometimes useful for chemists to convert alcohols into alkyl halides?

• Alkyl halides are easier to store.

• Alcohols are too expensive to use directly.

• The hydroxyl group in alcohols is a poor leaving group, making them less reactive for some reactions.

• Alkyl halides are always safer to handle than alcohols.

What is the defining characteristic of an epoxide?

• A cyclic ether with a three-atom ring containing one oxygen and two carbon atoms.

• A linear ether with a three-atom chain containing one oxygen and two carbon atoms.

• A cyclic alcohol with a three-atom ring containing one oxygen and two carbon atoms.

• A linear alcohol with a three-atom chain containing one oxygen and two carbon atoms.

Why are epoxides more reactive compared to typical ethers?

• They have a larger ring structure.

• They contain a strong acid.

• They possess significant ring strain.

• They are always in a liquid state.

When a secondary alcohol is oxidized using chromic acid, what is the main product formed?

• An aldehyde

• A carboxylic acid

• A ketone

• No reaction occurs

Why do tertiary alcohols not undergo oxidation when treated with chromic acid?

• They are too stable to react.

• They lack hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon with the hydroxyl group.

• Chromic acid only reacts with primary and secondary alcohols.

• The reaction requires a different type of catalyst.