Provide a chemical test to distinguish between ethanol and methanol.
Answer (2)
methanol and ethanol behave differently when treated with iodine solution and sodium hydroxide solution. Ethanol reacts to form a yellow solid, triiodomethane, often called iodoform .
To distinguish between ethanol and methanol, you can use a potassium dichromate test. Ethanol causes a color change in the solution when oxidized, while methanol does not show this change. This test relies on the different oxidation behaviors of the two alcohols when treated with potassium dichromate in acid.
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