Question

The treatment of alkyl halides with aqueous KOH leads to the formation of alcohols
but in the presence of alcoholic KOH alkenes are major products. Explain

Answer 1

The treatment of alkyl halide with aq.KOH leads to the formation of alcohols but in the presence of alcoholic KOH, alkenes are the major products. Explain. Alkyl chloride in thepresence of aqueous KOH gives substitution product .In an aqueoussolution, KOH completely ionizes to give hydroxide ions

Answer 2

Substitution of alkyl halide gives alcohols and elimination gives alkenes and there is
a competition between substitution and elimination. In the presence of low polarity
solvent like alcohol favours elimination where as in the presence of high polarity
solvent like water substitution favored