Unit 25: Oxidation & Reduction in Organic Chemistry

Redox logic lets students move systematically between alcohols, carbonyls, alkenes, and carboxylic acid derivatives while controlling chemoselectivity.

• Recognize oxidation-state changes at carbon and use them to classify common transformations.
• Select reagents for mild versus strong oxidation of alcohols and related substrates.
• Choose among common reductants for aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and unsaturated bonds.
• Predict when a reagent will stop at an aldehyde versus continue to a carboxylic acid or alcohol.

Checkpoint Questions

Q: Which reagent would you choose to convert 1-butanol to butanal?

A: A mild, nonaqueous oxidant such as PCC, DMP, or a Swern-type oxidation.

Q: Why can catalytic hydrogenation reduce an alkene without necessarily reducing an ester under ordinary conditions?

A: The alkene pi bond is much more accessible to surface-catalyzed hydrogen addition, while esters usually require stronger hydride reagents for reduction.