Conversion of alcohols to alkenes: R-CH2-CHOH-R → R-CH=CH-R + H2O
Conversion of carboxylic acids to acid anhydrides 2 RCO2H → (RCO)2O + H2O
Explanation:
Dehydration
In chemistry, a dehydration reaction is one that involves the loss of water. In organic synthesis, where an acid is often used as a catalyst, there are numerous examples of dehydration reactions: Conversion of alcohols to ethers: 2 R-OH → R-O-R + H2O Conversion of alcohols to alkenes: R-CH2-CHOH-R → R-CH=CH-R + H2O Conversion of carboxylic acids to acid anhydrides 2 RCO2H → (RCO)2O + H2O Conversion of amides to nitriles: RCONH2 → R-CN + H2O