# Propan-1-ol and 1-chloropropane are two organic compounds. Explain how a chemist could distinguish between propan-1-ol and 1-chloropropane using chemical tests, and describe the observations that would confirm the identity of each compound.

> OCR A-Level Chemistry B: Salters (H433) — 4.2 Alcohols, haloalkanes and analysis · Explain · 5 marks

> A chemist has two unlabelled bottles. One contains propan-1-ol and the other contains 1-chloropropane. Both liquids are colourless and have similar appearances.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Add aqueous silver nitrate (acidified with dilute nitric acid) to each sample / carry out the silver nitrate test for halide ions
2. 1-chloropropane produces a white precipitate / cream precipitate with silver nitrate, indicating the presence of chloride ions (halide ions)
3. Propan-1-ol produces no precipitate with silver nitrate (no halide ions present)
4. Propan-1-ol can be identified by the presence of the hydroxyl (–OH) group / burns with a clean blue flame OR reacts with sodium to produce hydrogen gas / effervescence
5. The two compounds belong to different homologous series — propan-1-ol is an alcohol (contains –OH group) and 1-chloropropane is a haloalkane (contains a halogen atom bonded to the carbon chain), which explains the difference in reactivity with silver nitrate

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- [Revision notes for OCR A-Level Chemistry B: Salters (H433)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
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