See image — Alcohols Phenols and Ethers Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Concept: Pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) is a mild oxidizing agent that converts primary alcohols to aldehydes and secondary alcohols to ketones, without over-oxidizing to carboxylic acids and without causing elimination or dehydration. Step 1 – Identify the substrate: The starting material is 4-tert-butylcyclohexanol. The hydroxyl group is on the cyclohexane ring (at C1), and the tert-butyl group C(CH3)3 is at C4. The total carbon count: 6 (ring) + 4 (tert-butyl) = 10 carbons, consistent with the clue 'ten carbon atom'. Step 2 – Identify the alcohol class: The carbon bearing the OH group (C1 of the cyclohexane) is attached to two other ring carbons, making it a secondary alcohol. Step 3 – Apply PCC oxidation: PCC oxidizes secondary alcohols to ketones. Therefore, the –OH group at C1 is oxidized to a C=O group, giving 4-tert-butylcyclohexan-1-one. Step 4 – Evaluate option (a): Option (a) shows a cyclohexene (contains a C=C double bond) with a tert-butyl group. PCC does not cause dehydration or elimination; it only performs oxidation of the alcohol to a carbonyl. Therefore, option (a) is incorrect. Step 5 – Evaluate option (b): Option (b) shows 4-tert-butylcyclohexan-1-one, a cyclohexanone with a tert-butyl group at C4. This is exactly the product expected from PCC oxidation of a secondary alcohol. The carbon count is 6 + 4 = 10, matching the given hint. Therefore, the correct answer is B.