An alcohol on vigorous oxidation is found to give ethanoic acid and propanoic acid . The alcohol may be

Options

A. 1-pentanol
B. 2-pentanol
C. 1-butanol
D. 2-butanol

Answer

To solve the problem of identifying the alcohol that, upon vigorous oxidation, yields ethanoic acid and propanoic acid, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Problem
We need to find an alcohol that, when oxidized, produces two specific carboxylic acids: ethanoic acid (CH3COOH) and propanoic acid (C2H5COOH).

### Step 2: Consider Possible Alcohols
We will consider different types of alcohols and their oxidation products. The alcohols we will analyze are:
1. Pentan-1-ol
2. Pentan-2-ol
3. Butan-1-ol
4. Butan-2-ol

### Step 3: Analyze Each Alcohol
1. **Pentan-1-ol (C5H12O)**:
- Upon vigorous oxidation, it forms pentanoic acid (C5H10O2).
- **Result**: Does not yield ethanoic or propanoic acid.

2. **Pentan-2-ol (C5H12O)**:
- First, it converts to a ketone (pentan-2-one) upon oxidation.
- Further oxidation of the ketone can yield two carboxylic acids: ethanoic acid (from the smaller side) and propanoic acid (from the larger side).
- **Result**: Produces ethanoic acid and propanoic acid.

3. **Butan-1-ol (C4H10O)**:
- Upon oxidation, it forms butanoic acid (C4H8O2).
- **Result**: Does not yield ethanoic or propanoic acid.

4. **Butan-2-ol (C4H10O)**:
- First, it converts to a ketone (butan-2-one) upon oxidation.
- Further oxidation can yield two molecules of ethanoic acid.
- **Result**: Does not yield propanoic acid.

### Step 4: Conclusion
After analyzing all options, we find that **Pentan-2-ol** is the only alcohol that, upon vigorous oxidation, produces both ethanoic acid and propanoic acid.

### Final Answer
The alcohol that gives ethanoic acid and propanoic acid upon vigorous oxidation is **Pentan-2-ol**.

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