Dichromate Oxidation of Ethanol

概述

Potassium dichromate oxidizes ethanol to acetic acid in acidic solution. Chromium(VI) is reduced to chromium(III), changing color from orange to green. The ethanol is oxidized through acetaldehyde to acetic acid. This color change was the basis of early breathalyzer tests.

参与者

日常示例

Early police breathalyzer devices (Breathalyzer tubes) used this reaction, where the orange-to-green color change indicated blood alcohol level.

工业重要性

重铬酸盐氧化是合成乙醛和乙酸的经典实验室方法，也是早期酒精测试设备的化学基础，尽管现代呼吸测醇仪已采用电化学传感器。