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+ Chemical reactions
+ Ethanol
+ Sodium hydroxide
+ Chemistry
+ Organic chemistry
Posted by
Mark Daly

What happens when ethanol is reacted with iodine in an aqueous solution of NaOH?

Bob Clark  Follow

It's an iodoform reaction.

Iodine in an alkaline solution generates hypoiodite OI(-) ion (I is in +I oxidation state).[better oxidising agent than only Iodine]

In the first stage ethanol (C2H5OH) gets oxidised to ethanal/actaldeyde (CH3CHO)

In the second stage acetaldehyde CH3 CHO gets tri- iodinated giving CHI3 + HCOONa.

A yellow precipitate of iodoform is formed as a result.

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