Alcohols

 Alcohols

It's not just the stuff your parents drink!

Uses and Properties

 * ethanol can be used as solvent
 * ethanol is also the “beverage alcohol”
 * methanol can be a fuel
 * methanol can also be used as an industrial food stock.

Alcohols are different from the other functional groups because of their properties.
 * the OH group tends to make alcohols soluble in water
 * the non-polar hydrocarbon chain tends to make alcohols insoluble in water
 * all alcohols are poisonous

Alcohols
DEFINE: Functional groups are a specific group of atoms which exists in a molecule and gives a molecule an ability to react in a certain manner, or gives it special properties.

DEFINE: An alcohol is an organic compound containing an OH group.

RULE: When naming an alcohol:
 * number the hydrocarbon chain to give the lowest possible number to the OH group.
 * place the number immediately before the name of the parent hydrocarbon, separated by a dash. Alkyl groups (and their numbers) are placed in front of the number for the OH
 * indicate the presence of an OH group by changing the ‘e’ ending of the hydrocarbon to ‘ol’

EXAMPLES:
 * CH3-OH = methanol
 * CH3-CH2-OH = ethanol

Try it yourself!
EXERCISES: either draw or name the following:
 * 1-butanol
 * 2-methyl-1-cyclopentanol

ANSWERS:

(CH3CH2CH2CH2OH)



(2-propanol, 2,3-dimethyl-1-cyclopropanol)