Question

Given below are two statements : Statement I : On heating with \(KHSO _4\), glycerol is dehydrated and acrolein is formed 
Statement II : Acrolein has fruity odour and can be used to test glycerol's presence Choose the correct option

• A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
• B. Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
• C. Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
• D. Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

To solve this question, we need to evaluate two statements regarding glycerol and its dehydration reaction with potassium hydrogen sulfate (KHSO_4) :

• Statement I: On heating with KHSO_4, glycerol is dehydrated and acrolein is formed.
• Statement II: Acrolein has a fruity odor and can be used to test glycerol's presence.

Let's analyze each statement:

1. Statement I: Glycerol, when heated with KHSO_4, undergoes dehydration to form acrolein. This is a well-known chemical reaction, where the hydroxyl groups (-OH) in glycerol are removed, leading to the formation of acrolein, a compound with the formula C_3H_4O. Therefore, Statement I is correct.
2. Statement II: Acrolein is an unsaturated aldehyde, and it does not have a fruity odor. In fact, acrolein has a pungent and irritating smell. The pungent odor helps in the identification of the presence of glycerol but is certainly not 'fruity'. Hence, Statement II is incorrect.

Based on the analysis, the correct answer is: Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.