Alcohols - Organic I Flashcards
What is the functional group of an alcohol?
Hydroxyl group -OH
How do you name alcohols (one prefix, one suffix)?
Hydroxyl- or -OH
What is the general formula of an alcohol?
CnH2n+1OH
What kind of intermolecular forces do alcohols have? Why?
Hydrogen bonding, due to the electronegativity difference in the OH bond
Are alcohols soluble in water? Why does solubility depend on chain length?
Soluble when short chain - OH hydrogen bonds to hydrogen bond in water
Insoluble when long chain - non-polarity of C-H bond takes precedence
How do alcohols’ m.p. And b.p. Compare to other hydrocarbons’ of similar C
chain lengths? Why?
Higher, because they have hydrogen bonding → stronger than Van der Waals forces
What makes an alcohol primary?
C bonded to OH is only bonded to one other C atom
What makes an alcohol secondary?
C bonded to OH is bonded to two other C atoms
What makes an alcohol tertiary?
C bonded to OH is bonded to three other C atoms
How can ethanol be made from crude oil?
Hydration of ethene via electrophilic addition (phosphoric acid catalyst H3PO4)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method?
- ethanol made from crude oil
Advantages - fast, continuous process, ethanol has a high purity
Disadvantages - not renewable as from crude oil
How can ethanol be made by fermentation?
Plant carbohydrates broken down and fermented by enzymes in yeast → ethanol
What conditions are needed for this reaction to take place?
ethanol form fermentation
Enzymes in yeast as catalyst, 35°C, anaerobic conditions
Write an equation for the reaction which takes place.
- ethanol from fermentation
C6H12O6 (aq) → 2C2H5OH + 2CO2
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method?
- ethanol from fermentation
Advantages - renewable as from plants Disadvantages - slow, batch process, enzymes stop working at 15% alcohol so solution is not pure, needed to be fractionally distilled
In the future, how might most ethene be made? Why is it not made like this at the moment?
Dehydrate ethanol made by fermentation → ethene
Not economical at the moment
Define carbon neutral
No net addition of CO2 to the atmosphere - carbon dioxide released when combusted = carbon dioxide absorbed as a plant
Explain how using ethanol in petrol engines could be considered to be carbon neutral.
Carbon dioxide released in fermentation and combustion = carbon dioxide absorbed when growing
Why would it probably not be entirely carbon neutral to use ethanol?
Other “carbon costs” associated with it e.g. Transport
What is a commercial fuel that uses ethanol? What else does it contain and why?
Methylated spirits - methanol (toxic, so it can’t be drunk)