What happens when a tertiary alcohol is heated at temperature of 443 K in presence of phosphoric acid?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Alkene is formed
Tertiary alcohols undergo dehydration when heated with concentrated phosphoric acid.
The –OH group is eliminated along with a hydrogen from an adjacent carbon to form a tertiary alkene via an E1 elimination mechanism.
At 443 K, the reaction favors alkene formation rather than ether formation.