Unit 4.3 - Alcohols and Phenol Flashcards
Alcohols
Compounds with one or more hydroxy (-OH) groups attached to the aliphatic chain
Phenols
Compounds where the hydroxy groups are directly attached to the benzene ring
Why are phenol and alcohols chemically different and react differently?
Because of the interaction between the oxygen atom and the benzene ring
How do we name alcohols?
Alcohols with one hydroxy group form a homologous series - the suffix -ol is added to the alkane stem
What are propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol to each other?
Structural isomers
Primary alcohols
The carbon which carries the OH- group is only attached to 1 alkyl group (1 other Carbon atom_
Secondary alcohols
The carbon which carrier the OH- group is attached to 2 alkyl groups (which may be the same or different)
Tertiary alcohols
The carbon which carries the OH- group is attached to 3 alkyl group s
What does Butan-2-ol form and why?
Optical isomers
Has a chiral centre
Explain in detail the solubility of alcohols
The lower alcohols (shorter chain) are completely soluble in water (are able to form hydorgen bonds with water)
As the alkyl (hydrocarbon) chain increases in length, the contribution of the hydrogen bond to the overall intermolecular forces decreases = the higher alcohols from butanol onwards are not very soluble in water
Why are lower alcohols completely soluble in water whereas longer ones aren’t?
Shorter = are able to form hydrogen bonds with water
Longer = the contribution of the hydrogen bond to the overall intermolecular forces decreases
How come hydrogen bonds between alcohols and water form?
Highly polarising + hydrogen atom attracts a lone pair of electrons from a small, highly electronegative atom in another molecule (N, O, F)
Compare the boiling point of alcohols to the boiling points of alkanes of similar molar mass
Higher
Which bonds do not break when a covalent compound boils?
Covalent bonds
Why do alcohols have higher boiling points than alkanes of similar molar mass?
Alkanes only have induced dipole-induced dipole forces
Alcohols have additional hydrogen bonding that elevate the boiling temperature
Which has the highest boiling point - ethanol or propane? Why?
Ethanal
It has hydrogen bonds which require more energy to break than the intermolecular forces in ethanol
How will ethanol dissolve in water?
As hydrogen bonds form between ethanol and water
What will ethanol dissolve in as well as water and why?
Non-polar solvents
Due to the presence of the hydrocarbon chain
Why is ethanol an important solvent?
Will dissolve in both water and non-polar solvents
What else do we need to consider on top of the intermolecular forces when working out boiling points? Explain
Chain lengths
Longer chain lengths = increased boiling points due to increased van der wall atracctions
Therefore, the higher the Mr or a molecule, the higher the boiling point
Why do longer chain lengths lead to higher boiling points?
Increased Van der Waal attractions
Explain and give the conditions and equation for the preparation of alcohols from alkenes. What type of reaction is this?
Ethanol is produced industrially by the steam hydrolysis of ethene
Phosphoric acid catalyst/concentratd sulfuric acid
300C
60 atm pressure
CH2=CH2 + H2O (g) —> CH3CH2OH
Electrophillic addition
What is the more natural way to produce ethanol that doesn’t involve steam hydrolysis of ethene?
By fermentation
How can ethanol be made by fermentation?
Fermentation followed by distillation