[mandy9008]

i don't know how to get to the product when the following compounds react under acidic conditions, H₂SO₄. I thought that the OH group would be the leaving group, forming a double bond in its place. i know that H₂SO₄ is only a catalyst, which means that the elements will not be incorporated into the product.
thanks!

[Oxygen]

An acid will make better leaving groups (charge stabilization)...it's likely that the -OH can pick up a hydrogen and generate a + charge which would then make it favorable leaving group...

[orgopete]

I suppose you can generate some secondary alcohol from the primary alcohol with sulfuric acid. Presumably, protonation of the alcohol, which when heated can eliminate water and to rearrange from a primary carbocation to a more stable secondary carbocation. If this is captured by the water, it would give the secondary alcohol. However, I think it is a little unfair to expect that one can efficiently do so as loss of water would be a faster reaction from the secondary alcohol than the primary alcohol. Also, for the loss of water to occur, conditions for removal also are not good for trapping of a carbocation with water.