Question

question two
(a) the early explorers of antarctica were at risk of scurvy from a lack of ascorbic acid (vitamin c) in their diet. some early explorers such as shackleton and amundsen encouraged their crew to eat raw seal meat, which contains vitamin c, thus preventing symptoms of scurvy.

the molecule ascorbic acid has two key functional groups, x and y. these functional groups have been circled and shown below.

(i) name the functional groups x and y.
x: ____ y: ____

(ii) describe the results of one physical test to distinguish between group x and y. physical properties are limited to differences in boiling point, density and solubility in water. assume a short chain molecule.

Explanation:

Identify functional groups X and Y

$$
LATEXBLOCK0
$$

Determine physical test to distinguish X and Y

$$
LATEXBLOCK1
$$

Answer:

Question 1

• X: Alkene (or carbon-carbon double bond)
• Y: Hydroxyl (or alcohol)

Question 2

• Physical Test: Solubility in water.
• Result: A short-chain molecule containing only Group Y (hydroxyl group) is polar and can form hydrogen bonds with water, making it soluble in water. A short-chain molecule containing only Group X (alkene group) is non-polar and cannot form hydrogen bonds with water, making it insoluble in water.