Practicing Success
What happens when ethylene glycol reacts with periodic acid? |
Formaldehyde is produced Acetaldehyde is produced Formic acid is produced Acetic acid is produced |
Formaldehyde is produced |
The correct answer is option 1. Formaldehyde is produced. When ethylene glycol reacts with periodic acid, the predicted product is formaldehyde. Periodic acid \((HIO_4)\) is a strong oxidizing agent that can cleave vicinal diols (two hydroxyl groups on adjacent carbons) into carbonyl compounds (aldehydes or ketones). In the case of ethylene glycol, which is a vicinal diol, the carbon-carbon bond between the two hydroxyl groups is cleaved, forming two formaldehyde molecules. |