Dehydration Reaction
A reaction in which water is removed from a single molecule, generally producing an unsaturated or condensed product.
Formula / equation
R–CH₂–CH₂OH → R–CH=CH₂ + H₂O
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
Dehydration is an intramolecular elimination promoted by concentrated sulfuric acid, hot alumina or strong heating. It converts alcohols to alkenes or ethers, amides to nitriles, and hydrated salts to anhydrous ones, the last being purely physical rather than a bond-breaking change.
Examples in the real world
Ethanol with concentrated H₂SO₄ at 170 °C giving ethene; sucrose blackening to a carbon column in the same acid.