Oxidation of Benzhydrol

[ephemeral1]

What is the point of adding the sodium dichromate dehydrate in water solution dropwise to benzhydrol in glacial acetic acid? Why can't we just add it all in at once? Also, what is the purpse of the glacial acetic acid?

 

[Borek]

In such situations it is usually kinetics/evolving heat/bubbling problem or some combination of all three. You want to have the reaction under control, don't you?