Propane-1,2-diol is treated with an excess of periodic acid (). What are the final organic products — Alcohols Phenols and Ethers Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Periodic acid selectively cleaves the $C-C$ bond of vicinal diols. The primary alcohol group ($-CH_2OH$) oxidizes to formaldehyde ($HCHO$), while the secondary alcohol group ($-CH(OH)CH_3$) oxidizes to acetaldehyde ($CH_3CHO$).