alcohols Flashcards
what is the suffix of all alcohols ?
-ol
what is the general formula of alcohols ?
CnH2n + 1 OH
what is the functional group of alcohols ?
OH
what is the prefix/ name given to the functional group of alcohols if they are not the most important group in the molecule ?
hydroxy
what is it called when there are 2 alcohol functional groups in the molecule ?
diol
what is the additional subclass of all alcohols ?
primary alcohols
secondary alcohols
tertiary alcohols
how do you know if an alcohol is a primary , secondary or tertairy alcohol ?
you look at the carbon that is attached to the functional group and count how many carbons are attached to that specific carbon
what are the features of the bonds in alcohols ?
- dipole dipole bonding
oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen - lone pair of electrons on oxygen
so hydrogen bonds can form between lone pair and electron deficient hydrogen in a neighbouring alcohol
what is the melting and boiling point of alcohols ?
hydrogen bonds between molecules means alcohols have a higher melting point than alkenes
what is meant by solubility ?
the ability to dissolve in water
describe the solubility of alcohols and explain why is that the case ?
alcohols are soluble in water
- because they form hydrogen bonds with water
-but the longer an alcohol gets, the less soluble it becomes
what is the bond angle between the hydrogen bond and the O-H bond ?
always 180 degrees
which point are alcohols considered to be insoluble ?
from octan-1-ol
there is a gradual change before that
what is considered to be he most important alcohol ?
ethanol
what are the 2 different ways of producing ethanol ?
- hydration of ethene
- fermentation
what are the benefits of producing ethanol from crude oil and ethene ?
- very fast method
- the products of hydration are already pure
- the method is a continuous process
what are the disadvantages of fermentation ?
-a very slow process
- products need to be distilled as it isn’t 100% pure
- batch process
state the overall equation for the hydration of ethene to produce ethanol ?
CH2 = CH2 + H2O —> C2H5OH
what reagent/ condition is essential for the hydration of ethene ?
a phosophuric acid catalyst must be added ( H3PO4)
show the hydration of ethene mechanism
picture is on your phone
how do you know that here was a catalyst present at the end of the hydration of ethene ?
because you are left with a H+ ion that was also there at the beginning
- this means it can be reused
state the overall equation for fermentation ?
C6H12O6 —->2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2
what are the reagents / conditions needed for fermentation ?
- yeast
- 35 degrees as a compromise because a high temp would speed up the reaction but also cause the enzymes to denature
- anaerobic conditions ( no oxygen )
- distillation of product to separate ethanol from the water as ethanol has a lower boiling point than water