The final product of the oxidation of ethyl alcohol is

Options

A. Acetone
B. Acetic acid
C. Ethane
D. Acetaldehyde

Answer

To determine the final product of the oxidation of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the structure of ethyl alcohol
Ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol, has the chemical formula \( \text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{OH} \) or \( \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{OH} \).

### Step 2: Understand the oxidation process
When ethanol is oxidized, it first converts to an aldehyde. The common oxidizing agents for this reaction include potassium permanganate (\( \text{KMnO}_4 \)) or chromic acid (\( \text{H}_2\text{CrO}_4 \)).

### Step 3: First oxidation step
The first oxidation of ethanol results in the formation of acetaldehyde (\( \text{CH}_3\text{CHO} \)). This can be represented as:
\[ \text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{OH} \xrightarrow{\text{oxidizing agent}} \text{CH}_3\text{CHO} \]

### Step 4: Further oxidation
If the oxidation continues, acetaldehyde can be further oxidized to acetic acid (\( \text{CH}_3\text{COOH} \)). The reaction can be represented as:
\[ \text{CH}_3\text{CHO} \xrightarrow{\text{oxidizing agent}} \text{CH}_3\text{COOH} \]

### Step 5: Conclusion
Thus, the final product of the complete oxidation of ethyl alcohol is acetic acid. Therefore, the answer is:
\[ \text{Acetic Acid (CH}_3\text{COOH)} \]

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