Question:

Give a simple chemical test to distinguish between butan-1-ol and butan-2-ol.

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Lucas reagent is commonly used to distinguish primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols based on their reactivity.
Updated On: Jun 18, 2025
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Solution and Explanation

A simple test to distinguish between butan-1-ol and butan-2-ol is the use of a Lucas test. In this test, Lucas reagent (concentrated HCl with ZnCl\(_2\)) is added to the alcohol: - Butan-1-ol (a primary alcohol) reacts slowly to form an alkyl chloride. - Butan-2-ol (a secondary alcohol) reacts more quickly to form an alkyl chloride. The reaction rate can help distinguish the two alcohols. Butan-2-ol will show turbidity more rapidly than butan-1-ol.
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