How can we get benzoic acid from phenyl cyanide (only chemical equation)
Answers
We can get benzoic acid from from phenyl cyanide by the acidic hydrolysis of phenyl cyanide.
The cyano or the cyanide group is very reactive towards water and hence just by adding water in presence of proton donor that is acid the cyano group convert to acidic group.
The cyanide as carbon bonded with triple bond to nitrogen and hence is highly unstable so as soon as it gets water the bond between carbon and nitrogen is broken and carbon quickly reacts with water giving acidic group.
On partial hydrolysis of cyano group we get amino group that is compound is amine(NH2) and on complete hydrolysis of cyano group we get acidic group(COOH) compound is acid.
So on complete hydrolysis of phenyl cyanide we get benzoic acid. Reaction is:-
C6H5CN +2 H2O -------->C6H5COOH + NH3(g)
Explanation:
benzoic acid to phenyl cynide