Alcohols Flashcards
what is functional group of alcohols
-OH (hydroxyl)
- is responsible for physical and chemical properties
what is difference between displayed, structural, shortened structural and molecular formula of alcohols
- DISPLACED= show ALL bonds, including the O-H BOND!!
- STRUCTURAL= show detail of how atoms bonded, e.g. CH3CH2CH2OH
- SHORTENED STRUCTURAL= shows the OH group at end, e.g. C3H7OH
- MOLECULAR= just shows amount of each atom present, e.g. C3H8O
what is the general formula of alcohols
CnH2n+1OH
how do you name alcohols based on the IUPAC names
1) count longest carbon chain to decide prefix
2) count the number of OH groups to determine suffix (-ol, -diol, -triol, -tetraol), remembering to not shorted alkane name if suffix doesn’t start with a vowel, e.g. 2-methylbutane-2,3-biol
3) number the chains with OH group, which take priority over methyl group number
4) name and number alkyl groups, remembering that they go in alphabetical order
how do you classify alcohols
- based off the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon with -OH
what are the 3 classes of alcohols
1) primary- has 1 carbon atom attached and 2 hydrogens - ALWAYS ethanol, and METHANOL, which is exception, as has 0 C’s and 3 H’s, but still classed
2) secondary- has 2 alkyl groups attached, and 1 H
3) tertiary- has 3 alkyl groups attached, and 0 H’s
what are the properties when comparing alcohols with their corresponding alkanes (same number of C atoms)
- less volatile
- higher melting points
- greater solubility in water
- differences become less as length of the carbon chain increases
- ALL DUE TO THE O-H BOND
explain what is responsible for the properties of alcohols
- have polar O-H bond, as O is more electronegative than H, so are polar molecules
- have weak LDF, BUT also have stronger hydrogen bonding between the O-Hs
- whereas alkanes have no polar bonds, as C and H have similar electronegativities, so non-polar molecules, with only weak LDF
why are alcohols less volatile than alkanes
volatile = ability to change from liquid to gas, so have HIGH boiling point
- to go from liquid to gas, the stronger hydrogen bonds need to be broken
- so more energy required than LDF in alkanes
explain the solubility of alcohols
- can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules
- between polar O-H bond and water
-BUT, as hydrocarbon chain increases, the influences of the -OH bond decreases, so solubility decreases
explain the viscosity of alcohols
- as you increase the number of OH groups in alcohol
- the more hydrogen bonding
- so stronger attraction
- and more viscous
explain the combustion of alcohols
- burn in plentiful supply of oxygen to form CO2 and H2O
- if incomplete, CO and C will be formed too
- exothermic, as releases a lot of energy in form of heat
- as the number of C atoms in the chain increases, so does the heat released per mole
how are alcohols formed
- reaction of alkene and steam
- needs high temperature, pressure, and presence of concentrated H3PO4 catalyst
what is an alternate way to form alcohols
- via formation of sugars from plant carbohydrates
- e.g. C6H12O6 ===> 2C2H5OH + 2CO2
- needs to be room temp, anaerobic and enzyme catalyst
what are the 3 reactions of alcohols
- oxidation
- dehydration
- substitution