In the United States, nearly all fuel for automobiles is a mixture of gasoline and ethanol, C2H5OH. The equation below represents a reaction between ethene and water to produce ethanol.

NY Regents Chemistry Exam June 2023 Questions 79-81

79 State the class of organic compound to which the product in the equation belongs.

Solution: Classes of organic molecules can be found in Table R on the Reference Table. The product has an OH functional group and is therefore an alcohol.

80 State, in terms of carbon-to-carbon bonds, why the hydrocarbon in the equation is unsaturated.

Solution: An unsaturated hydrocarbon has multiple carbon-to-carbon bonds. Since the reactant on the left has a double carbon-to-carbon bond, it is considered to be unsaturated.

81 Identify the element in the product of the reaction that allows it to be classified as an organic compound.

Solution: Carbon is an element that all organic compounds must have in order to be classified as organic.

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