How ethyl magnesium chloride is converted into propan-1-ol?

To convert ethyl magnesium chloride (ethylmagnesium chloride) into propan-1-ol (1-propanol), you can follow a two-step process involving the reaction with formaldehyde followed by hydrolysis. Here's the detailed procedure:

Step 1: Reaction with Formaldehyde (Methanal)
First, ethylmagnesium chloride (CH3CH2MgCl) reacts with formaldehyde (methanal) to form a secondary alcohol, 2-hydroxypropan-1-ol (isopropyl alcohol).

The reaction equation is as follows:
CH3CH2MgCl + CH2O → CH3CHOHCH3 + MgCl2

Step 2: Hydrolysis
The secondary alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) formed in the previous step undergoes hydrolysis to yield the desired propan-1-ol (1-propanol).

The reaction equation is as follows:
CH3CHOHCH3 + H2O → CH3CH2CH2OH

Overall Reaction:
CH3CH2MgCl + CH2O + H2O → CH3CH2CH2OH + MgCl2

In summary, the conversion of ethylmagnesium chloride to propan-1-ol involves the reaction of ethylmagnesium chloride with formaldehyde to form isopropyl alcohol, followed by hydrolysis of isopropyl alcohol to obtain propan-1-ol.