Ethylene oxide when treated with Grignard reagent yields

Options

A. Primary alcohol
B. Secondary alcohol
C. Tertiary alcohol
D. Cyclopropyl alcohol

Answer

To solve the question of what ethylene oxide yields when treated with a Grignard reagent, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- Ethylene oxide is a cyclic ether with the formula \( C_2H_4O \) (or \( CH_2-CH_2-O \)).
- Grignard reagent is represented as \( R-Mg-X \), where \( R \) is an alkyl or aryl group and \( X \) is a halogen.

2. **Understand the Reaction Mechanism**:
- Grignard reagents act as nucleophiles due to the presence of a partial negative charge on the alkyl group \( R \).
- Ethylene oxide has two electrophilic carbon centers due to the strain in the ring, making it reactive towards nucleophiles.

3. **Nucleophilic Attack**:
- The nucleophilic \( R \) from the Grignard reagent attacks one of the carbon atoms in the ethylene oxide ring.
- This leads to the breaking of the C-O bond, resulting in the formation of an alkoxide intermediate.

4. **Formation of Alkoxide**:
- The attack results in the formation of an alkoxide ion, which can be represented as \( R-CH_2-CH_2-O^- \) with \( MgX^+ \) attached to the oxygen.

5. **Hydrolysis**:
- To convert the alkoxide to an alcohol, hydrolysis is performed, typically by adding water.
- This results in the formation of the final product: \( R-CH_2-CH_2-OH \).

6. **Identify the Product**:
- The product formed is a primary alcohol because the hydroxyl group (\( -OH \)) is attached to a carbon that is connected to only one other carbon.

### Final Answer:
The product of the reaction between ethylene oxide and a Grignard reagent is a primary alcohol represented as \( R-CH_2-CH_2-OH \).

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