Question

How can we obtain Ethyl alcohol with the help of ethyl chloride
A. By boiling with Alcoholic \[KOH\]
B. By boiling Aqueous \[KOH\]
C. By adding Water
D. By boiling \[{H_2}{O_2}\]

Answer 1

Hint: In the above question, two organic compounds are given i.e. Ethyl alcohol which has the chemical formula \[C{H_3}C{H_2}OH\], it contains one functional group i.e. hydroxyl group and the other one is ethyl chloride which has the chemical formula \[C{H_3}C{H_2}Cl\] which contains one halogen atom \[( - Cl)\] as a functional group.

Complete answer:
According to the given question, Ethyl chloride is converted to ethyl alcohol which indicates that one functional group is converted to another functional group. In this reaction, the chloride ion is removed from the ethyl group and replaced with hydroxyl group. We know that alkyl halides undergo nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions with a strong base in aqueous medium. For the given reaction to occur, aqueous \[KOH\] is used as a reagent whereas alcoholic \[KOH\] is a dehydrohalogenation reagent due to which it forms an alkene.
So, the chemical reaction that occurs between ethyl chloride, \[C{H_3}C{H_2}Cl\] and aqueous \[KOH\] is as follows:
\[C{H_3} - C{H_2} - Cl + KOH \to C{H_3} - C{H_2} - OH + KCl\]
Therefore, in the given question, we can conclude that Ethyl alcohol is obtained when ethyl chloride is heated with aqueous \[KOH\]. This reaction produces ethyl alcohol and potassium chloride.
Hence, the correct answer is option (B) that is aqueous \[KOH\].

Note:
It must be remembered that this is a very useful reaction in organic chemistry and we can also use aqueous \[NaOH\] in place of aqueous \[KOH\]. These reagents are helpful in converting one functional group to another. This reaction is very useful and a very basic preparation method for the production of alkyl alcohol.