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How would you distinguish experimentally between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid?

Carbon

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Add Sodium Carbonate (Na₂CO₃) / Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate (NaHCO₃) solution to alcohol (ethanol) and carboxylic acid (ethanoic acid). With carboxylic acid it will produce brisk effervescence of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas whereas no effervescence is seen with alcohol.

The chemical equation for reaction between Sodium Carbonate (Na₂CO₃) / Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate (NaHCO₃) and Ethanoic Acid is given below:

2CH₃COOH + Na₂CO₃ ⟶ 2CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂↑

CH₃COOH + NaHCO₃ ⟶ CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂↑

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Science

How would you distinguish experimentally between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid?

Carbon

Answer

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