Chemistry Carboxylic Acids SZABMU 2024
PMDC Verified Question 3 of 94
The oxidation of Methanal results in the formation of —————.
A
Acetic acid
B
Methanol
C
Formic acid
D
Propanoic acid
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option C: Formic acid
Concept:

Oxidation of an aldehyde yields a carboxylic acid with the exact same number of carbon atoms.

Formula:

$$ \text{HCHO} + [\text{O}] \longrightarrow \text{HCOOH} $$

Solution:

  • Methanal (formaldehyde) is a 1-carbon aldehyde.


  • Upon oxidation, the \( \text{C-H} \) bond of the aldehyde group converts to a \( \text{C-OH} \) bond.


  • The resulting 1-carbon carboxylic acid is methanoic acid, commonly known as formic acid.


Why other options are incorrect:

Methanol is a reduction product. Acetic acid and propanoic acid contain 2 and 3 carbons, respectively, and cannot be formed without chain elongation.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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