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How will you bring about the following conversion?
Formaldehyde to ethanol
Answer
Answer
Official answer keyEquations: $\mathrm{HCHO} + \mathrm{CH_{3}MgBr} \xrightarrow{\text{dry}\text{ }\text{ether}} \mathrm{CH_{3}CH_{2}OMgBr}$ $\mathrm{CH_{3}CH_{2}OMgBr} + \mathrm{H_{2}O} \xrightarrow{\text{hydrolysis}} \mathrm{CH_{3}CH_{2}OH} + \mathrm{Mg(OH)Br}$
Methylmagnesium bromide adds to formaldehyde; hydrolysis of the adduct gives ethanol.
From ISC 2026 Specimen Chemistry Paper 1, question 6(ii).