Ethanol reacts with potassium cyanide, followed by dilute acid, to form 2-hydroxypropanenitrile - AQA - A-Level Chemistry - Question 4 - 2019 - Paper 3

The name of this type of mixture is racemic mixture.

Ethanol has a chiral center due to the presence of a carbon atom bonded to four different groups. When potassium cyanide attacks the carbon adjacent to the hydroxyl group, it can approach from either side, leading to the formation of two enantiomeric isomers of 2-hydroxypropanenitrile.

The 3D representations of the two isomers can be shown as follows:

Structure 1:

     H   CN
      \  /
       C
      / \
     OH   H

Structure 2:

     H   CN
      \  /
       C
      / \
     H   OH

Reagent: Concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Conditions: Heat to 170°C.

The section of polyacrylonitrile showing three repeating units is represented as:

   --(C=C)(CN)--  
   |             | 
   --(C=C)(CN)--  
   |             | 
   --(C=C)(CN)--