What's in a Medicine - Alcohol Chemistry Flashcards
what is organic synthesis?
using carbon molecules to create more carbon molecules
what are the physical properties of alcohols?
polar due to OH bond - similar to water
soluble to an extent
which alcohols are less soluble in water?
longer chain eg pentan-1-ol
why are alcohols soluble in water?
the OH bond allows them to hydrogen bond with water molecules, dissolving easily
how does the hydrogen bonding of alcohols explain their melting/boiling points?
they are higher than corrosponding alkanes because more energy is required to break the hydrogen bonds as well as the intermolecular id-id bonds
draw a diagram of methanol hydrogen bonding with water
what are the three types of alchohols?
primary
secondary
tertiary
what is a primary alcohol?
the hydroxy group is bonded to a carbon that is bonded to only one other carbon
draw an example of a primary alcohol
what is the functional group of a primary alcohol?
what is a secondary alcohol?
the hydroxy group is bonded to a carbon that is bonded to 2 other carbons
draw an example of a secondary alcohol
what is the functional group of a secondary alcohol?
what is a tertiary alcohol?
hydroxy group bonded to a carbon that is bonded to 3 other carbons
draw an example of a tertiary alcohol
what is the functional group of tertiary alcohols?
what can primary alcohols be oxidised to?
aldehydes which can then be oxidised into carboxylic acids
what happens during the oxidation of a primary alcohol to an aldehyde?
two H are removed - one from the O and one from the C it is attached to
a double bond is formed between the O and C
what are the reaction conditions for the oxidation of primary alcohols into aldehydes?
acidified potassium dichromate
excess alcohol
what are the reaction conditions for the oxidation of an aldehyde into a carboxylic acid?
excess oxidising agent
heat under reflux
what is the product of the oxidation of seconday alcohols?
ketones
describe what happens during the oxidation of secondary alcohols
the hydrogens on the oxygen and carbon are lost, forming a ketone
why do tertiary alcohols not oxidise?
because there is no hydrogen on the carbon that the hydroxy group is attached to
how are aldehydes named?
suffix -al
eg propanal
what is the functional group of an aldehyde?
how are ketones named?
suffix -one
same number rules as alkenes
eg pentan-2-one
what is the functional group of a ketone?
what is produced from the dehydration of an alcohol?
alkenes
what are the reaction conditions for the dehydration of alcohols?
Al2O3 at 300ºC
OR
conc sulfuric acid + heat under reflux
draw the dehydration of propan-1-ol
how are haloalkanes produced?
nucleophilic substitution of alcohols with halide ions in the presence of a strong acid catalyst
what are the 2 ways of converting alcohols into esters?
esterification using an acid anhydride
esterification using a carboxylic acid
what is esterification?
the reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid to produce an ester
draw the equation for the esterification of ethanoic acid and ethanol
what are the reaction conditions for esterification using alcohols and carboxylic acids?
heat under reflux
conc sulfuric or conc hydrochloric
how are esters named?
_thyl _anoate, where the name is derived from the alcohol and carboxylic acid used to form it
eg
methanol and ethanoic acid forms methyl ethanoate
what are acid anhydrides?
derivatives of carboxylic acids
what is the functional group of acid anhydrides?
how can acid anhydrides be used to form esters?
react completely with alcohols in place of carboxylic acids to produce esters
what are the reaction conditions for the formation of esters using acid anhydrides?
warm
which gives a higher yield of ester: carboxylic acids or acid anhydrides?
acid anhydrides
what is the functional group of an ether?
how are ethers derived?
derived from alkanes by substituting an alkoxy group (OR-) with a hydrogen from the alkane
what type of isomer are ethers with alcohols?
structural isomers - same molecular formula, different structure
what are the main techniques used to purify organic liquid products?
distillation
simple drying agents
separating funnels
