Question

primary alcohols react slower to substitution by halide group in comparison to secondary and tertiary alcohols.why??​

Answer 1

Answer:

The use of thionyl chloride for converting alcohols to alkyl chlorides has the added benefit that both of the by-products, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride, are gases. This characteristic simplifies the isolation and purification of the reaction product.

In the laboratory, one can test for the presence of alcohols with Lucas reagent (a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and zinc chloride). Lucas reagent converts alcohols to alkyl chlorides: tertiary alcohols give an immediate reaction, indicated when the alcohol solution turns cloudy; secondary alcohols usually show evidence of reacting within five minutes; primary alcohols do not react to any significant extent. Thus, Lucas reagent can help distinguish among primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols.

Explanation:

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