A student reacts methyl magnesium iodide with formaldehyde followed by hydrolysis. Which alcohol is produced as the final product?
Q1. A student reacts methyl magnesium iodide with formaldehyde followed by hydrolysis. Which alcohol is produced as the final product?
Answer: Ethanol
Explanation: Formaldehyde always produces a primary alcohol with Grignard reagents. Other aldehydes produce secondary alcohols, which is a common error.