Lesson 3.3.5.3

3.3.5.3 Alcohols: Elimination Quiz: AQA Chemistry, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.3.5.3, Alcohols: Elimination: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Chemistry (7405), Unit 3: Organic chemistry, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What type of reaction forms an alkene from an alcohol?

    • Addition
    • Free-radical substitution
    • Elimination (dehydration)
    • Oxidation

  2. What catalyst is used to dehydrate an alcohol to an alkene?

    • Potassium manganate(VII) only
    • Concentrated acid such as sulfuric or phosphoric acid
    • Nickel
    • Ultraviolet light

  3. What is the product of heating cyclohexanol with an acid catalyst?

    • Cyclohexanoic acid
    • Cyclohexene
    • Cyclohexane only
    • Cyclohexanone

  4. Which of the following is the first step in the acid-catalysed elimination of water from an alcohol?

    • Removal of a hydrogen from the alkene
    • Protonation of the OH group
    • Formation of a radical from water
    • Addition of Br2 across the C-O bond

  5. In the mechanism of acid-catalysed alcohol elimination, what is the intermediate formed after water leaves?

    • A carbanion
    • A carbocation
    • A free radical only
    • An ester

  6. Which compound is formed when ethanol is dehydrated with concentrated sulfuric acid at high temperature?

    • Ethanal
    • Ethanoic acid
    • Ethene
    • Ethane

  7. Why are alkenes made from alcohols useful?

    • They contain no C=C bond
    • They are ionic salts
    • They can be used to make addition polymers without using monomers from crude oil
    • They are always used as fuels only

  8. Which alcohol is most suitable for making cyclohexene in the required practical?

    • Cyclohexane
    • Cyclohexanol
    • Cyclohexanone
    • Cyclohexanoic acid

  9. How is cyclohexene purified in the required practical after dehydration?

    • By adding excess bromine
    • By electrolysis
    • Using a separating funnel and then distillation
    • By filtration through paper only

  10. What is the molecular formula of the alkene formed by dehydrating butan-2-ol?

    • C4H10O
    • C4H6
    • C4H8
    • C4H10

  11. What is the balanced equation for the dehydration of ethanol to ethene?

    • C2H5OH -> C2H4O + H2
    • 2C2H5OH -> C2H4 + 2H2O
    • C2H5OH -> C2H4 + H2O
    • C2H5OH -> C2H6 + O

  12. Which product is formed from the elimination of water from propan-2-ol?

    • Propanal
    • Propan-1-ol
    • Propanone
    • Propene

  13. Why is elimination from a secondary alcohol typically drawn with the more substituted alkene as the major product?

    • Water must be retained in the product
    • Radicals form the major product
    • The more substituted alkene is more stable
    • The less substituted alkene is always more stable

  14. Which reagent is used in the dehydration of cyclohexanol in the laboratory practical?

    • Bromine water
    • Sodium hydroxide
    • Silver nitrate
    • Concentrated phosphoric acid

  15. What is the role of the acid in the dehydration of an alcohol?

    • It protonates the OH group so water is a better leaving group
    • It removes the carbon chain
    • It oxidises the alcohol to a ketone
    • It removes all the hydrogen atoms

  16. Which species is removed as a by-product when an alcohol is dehydrated?

    • Carbon dioxide
    • Sodium chloride
    • Water
    • Hydrogen gas

  17. Why are the alkenes formed by elimination reactions of alcohols useful for addition polymer production?

    • They have C=C bonds that can open to form addition polymers
    • They are always ionic
    • They are always aromatic rings
    • They contain no double bonds

  18. Explain why an acid catalyst is needed for alcohol elimination rather than heating alone.

    • The acid removes hydrogen from the alkene to make it stable
    • The acid protonates the OH group, making water a better leaving group so elimination proceeds more readily
    • Acid prevents the formation of any carbocation
    • Heating alone always gives an ester, so acid is needed

  19. Explain why the dehydration of an alcohol and the hydration of an alkene are reverse reactions in principle.

    • Both involve the same C-O and C=C bonds in an equilibrium-type relationship between alkene plus water and alcohol
    • Hydration forms an alkene and dehydration forms an alcohol and salt
    • Both reactions produce only ionic compounds
    • Both reactions are free-radical with no catalyst

  20. Which alcohol gives only one possible alkene on dehydration?

    • Propan-2-ol but with two alkenes
    • Butan-2-ol
    • Pentan-2-ol
    • Ethanol

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