What is the functional outcome of using tosylates on alcohols?

Using tosylates on alcohols significantly improves their leaving group ability, which is the primary reason for converting alcohols into tosylates. Alcohols, while functional groups, are generally poor leaving groups due to the stability of the hydroxyl group. By converting an alcohol into a tosylate, the alcohol is transformed into a tosylate ester through the reaction with tosyl chloride.

Tosylates function as better leaving groups because the tosylate ion is a stable, resonance-stabilized entity that can be expelled during a nucleophilic substitution reaction. This transformation enables more effective reactions, such as nucleophilic substitutions or eliminations, often leading to the production of alkenes, alkyl halides, or other desired organic structures.

The other options do not accurately represent the consequences of converting alcohols to tosylates. For example, increased oxidation capacity does not occur directly from this transformation, as the nature of the functional group is what primarily dictates reactivity regarding oxidation. Conversion to aldehydes or ketones is also not a direct outcome of using tosylates; those transformations typically involve different types of reactions, such as oxidation or reduction processes. Therefore, enhancing the leaving group ability through the formation of tosyl