Question

Give a chemical test to distinguish between the following pair of compound:

Propan-2-ol and 2-methyl propan-2-ol

Answer 1

Lucas test: 2-methylpropan-2-ol, a tertiary alcohol, produces quick turbidity when reacting with the Lucas reagent, whereas propan-2-ol does not. Turbidity after 5 minutes.

1. \[\ce{\underset{alcohols}{\underset{Tertiary}{R3C}} - OH + \underset{reagent}{lucas} -> R3CCl}\]
   (Turbidity appears immediately.)
2. \[\ce{R2CH - OH +\underset{reagent}{lucas} -> R2CHCl}\]
   (Turbidity appears after 3-5 minutes.)