15.1- ALCOHOLS INTRODUCTION Flashcards
What is our possibly oldest social drug?
ethanol
How can ethanol be derived?
from the fermentation of sugars in fruits
What is the alcohol in alcoholic drinks?
ethanol
What can ethanol in moderation promote?
promote feeling of well-being and reduce normal inhibitions
What is ethanol, in reference to the nervous system?
ethanol is a nervous system depressant
What is an example of ethanol being a nervous system depressant?
interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses
What can having larger amounts of ethanol lead to?
loss of balance, poor hand-eye coordination, impaired vision, and inability to judge speed
What can large amounts of ethanol be described as?
fatal
What can excessive long-term use of ethanol lead to?
alcoholism
What happens to the ethanol in alcoholic drinks by the body?
absorbed through the walls of the stomach + small intestine into bloodstream
How is some ethanol eliminated from the body?
unchanged in urine and in the breath
What happens to the rest of the ethanol left in the body?
broken down by the liver
From the combined effects of both processes of elimination of ethanol, how much can the average person eliminate in an hour?
10cm^3 of ethanol per hour
What is the functional group of alcohols?
-OH
How reactive are alcohols?
relatively reactive
What is the most commonly encountered alcohol in everyday life?
ethanol
What is the general formula of an alcohol?
CnH2n+1OH
What is the general formula of alcohols often shortened to?
ROH
What suffix represents the functional group?
suffix -ol
When is the prefix hydroxyl- used?
if some other functional groups are present
What must be shown with chains longer than ethanol?
number to show where the -OH group is
What is used if there is more than one -OH group?
di-, tri-, tetra-
What is numbers used for?
where the -OH groups are
What is propane-1,2,3-triol also known as?
glycerol
How can glycerol be obtained?
from fats + oils found in living organisms
In alcohols, how many bonding pairs of electrons + lone pairs are there in the oxygen atoms?
oxygen atom has 2 bonding pairs of electrons + two lone pairs
In alcohols, what is the C-O-H angle size?
about 105°
Why is the C-O-H angle about 105° in alcohols?
as the 109.5° angle of a perfect tetrahedron is “squeezed down” by presence of lone pairs
What would the two lone pairs of the oxygen atom in alcohol do?
repel each other more than pairs of electrons in covalent bond
How are alcohols classified?
primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°)
How are the alcohols classified as primary, secondary or tertiary?
according to how many other groups (R) bonded to carbon that has -OH group
In a primary alcohol, how many R groups are attached to the carbon with the -OH group?
one R group (so 2 hydrogen atoms)
Where is the -OH group in a primary alcohol?
at the end of the chain
In a secondary alcohol, how many R groups are attached to the carbon with the -OH group?
two R groups (so 1 hydrogen atom)
Where is the -OH group in a secondary alcohol?
in the body of the chain
In a tertiary alcohol, how many R groups are attacked to the carbon with the -OH group?
three R groups (so no hydrogen atoms)
Where it the -OH group in a tertiary alcohol?
at a branch in the chain
What bonding does the -OH group in alcohols allow?
hydrogen bonding between molecules
Do alcohols or alkanes have higher melting + boiling points of same relative molecular mass?
alcohols have higher melting + boiling points
What can the -OH group of alcohols hydrogen bond to?
water molecules
What part of an alcohol cannot hydrogen bond to water molecules?
non-polar hydrocarbon chain
As the non-polar hydrocarbon chain of alcohols cannot hydrogen bond to water molecules, what does this mean for alcohols with short hydrocarbon chains?
they’re soluble in water
Why are alcohols with short hydrocarbon chains soluble in water?
hydrogen bonding predominates
What predominates in longer-chain alcohols?
non-polar hydrocarbon chain dominates
What does it mean as the non-polar hydrocarbon chain dominates in longer-chain alcohols?
alcohols become insoluble in water
