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How do aldehydes form?

Answer 1

By oxidation of primary alcohols............

It is challenging to oxidize a primary alcohol when you stop at the aldehyde:

#RCH_2OHrarrRC(=O)HrarrRC(=O)(OH)#

Some reagents have the ability to selectively oxidize a primary alcohol and stop at an aldehyde without completely oxidizing to the acid. The better organic chemists—of which I am not one—monitor their reaction with thin layer chromatography and quench the reaction at the aldehyde stage. I knew of one man who could regularly oxidize his alcohols up to aldehydes using potassium dichromate, a very potent oxidant. He was harsh on those namby-pamby oxidants, like chromic oxide in pyridine, that he believed would stop at the aldehyde stage.

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Answer 2

Christian Anderson

Aldehydes form when primary alcohols undergo oxidation.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.