What type of alcohol is oxidized to form a ketone?

A secondary alcohol is oxidized to form a ketone during the oxidation process. In organic chemistry, secondary alcohols have the general structure where the hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to a carbon that is bonded to two other carbon atoms. During oxidation, the -OH group is converted to a carbonyl group (C=O), resulting in the formation of a ketone.

This process typically involves the removal of two hydrogen atoms from the secondary alcohol: one from the hydroxyl group and another from the adjacent carbon atom. The resulting compound is a ketone, characterized by the presence of the carbonyl group flanked by two carbon chains, which distinguishes it from aldehydes that are produced from the oxidation of primary alcohols.

Primary alcohols, when oxidized, typically yield aldehydes or further oxidized to carboxylic acids. Tertiary alcohols do not readily oxidize because there are no hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon that bears the hydroxyl group, making it resistant to oxidation. Thus, secondary alcohol is specifically the type of alcohol that undergoes oxidation to form ketones.