chemsample-discussion1

=****Lab 1 Discussion**** =

Student A Dehydration reactions are important because they create alkenes from single bonded alcohols when placed in an acidic medium. One example of this mechanism is dehydrating ethanol to ethylene. Ethylene is one of the most ubiquitously produced organic compounds in the world. It is used for a wide variety of products, including detergents, insulation and mustard gas.

Student B Dehydration reactions function to facilitate the change of alcohols into other (often more usable) mol. - for example: the conversion of alcohols to ethers and/or alkenes. By protonating the hydroxyl group (-OH, a poor leaving group), an oxonium ion is formed (basically water) which easily separates from the molecule - and, in the simplest case yields a viable alkene product. The biological significance of dehydration reactions seems to revolve around the fact that when dehydrated into an alkene, the new alkene product is available to form new bonds. Cells can use these available bonding sites, for example, to form new covalent bonds - creating complex polymers from multiple monomers.

Student C A water molecule is taken out of an alcohol to form an alkene. This is important because organisms/cells can use alkenes to make other compounds as well.

Student D Answer Dehydrating alcohol is useful because it turns into an alkene which is more useful for other reactions.

Student E Dehydration reaction involves the loss of water from a reacting molecule. Use this form of a reaction you can convert alcohols to either ethers or alkenes, carboxylic acids to acid anhydrides, and amides to nitriles.

Student F Answer: Dehydration of alcohols allows it to become more productive alkene which can be used in many other reactions. The process removes the protonated hydroxyl group to create a carbon-carbon double bond causing the creation of an alkene.

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