dehydrating agent (chem)

• xstryker

  30 Aug 10, 22:14

  I've read in many dehydrating equations and most use h2so4 as the agent. I know that it removes water but how exactly it removes water? Will it be tested in A levels?
• UltimaOnline

  30 Aug 10, 22:33

  Originally posted by xstryker:

  I’ve read in many dehydrating equations and most use h2so4 as the agent.
  I know that it removes water but how exactly it removes water?
  Will it be tested in A levels?

  
  Here is the mechanism, courtesy of Jim Clarke, for how sulfuric(VI) acid acts as a catalyst for the dehydration of alcohols to alkenes.

  http://www.chemguide.co.uk/mechanisms/elim/dhethanol.html

   

  Other dehydrating agents for Organic Chemistry include phosphoric acid (which works the same way as sulfuric acid), phosphorous pentoxide P4O10 (which can dehydrate amides to nitriles) and heated aluminium oxide Al2O3 (which can also be used to dehydrate alcohols to alkenes).