Question

What is the purpose of koh naoh in organic chemistry?

Answer 1

Answer:

Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, and is commonly called caustic potash.

Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations Na+  and hydroxide anions OH−

Explanation:

The simplest answer to your question is this...aqueous KOH is generally used for reactions that are not water sensitive and when performing a hydrolysis. Saponification of amides and esters are two examples when aqueous KOH is preferred (since these are hydrolysis reactions). Alternatively, KOH is used in 'anhydrous' form such as in ethanolic KOH (KOH dissolved in ethanol) when reactions are water sensitive or when performing a dehydration reaction. This is because the water added to a dehydration reaction will shift the equilibrium of that reaction towards the left (i.e., the starting materials). Aldol condensations are one such example, especially when the target compound is the conjugated enone (formed by dehydration of the intermediate beta-hydroxyketone). This is because the dehydration reaction rate is decreased in the prescense of water (shifts equilibrium of the reaction towards the starting materials)...

Answer 2

aqueous KOH is generally used for reactions that are not water sensitive and when performing a hydrolysis. ... Alternatively, KOH is used in 'anhydrous' form such as in ethanolic KOH (KOH dissolved in ethanol) when reactions are water sensitive or when performing a dehydration reaction.