Alcohols, Ethers, and Thiols - What Are Alcohols?

6 important questions on Alcohols, Ethers, and Thiols - What Are Alcohols?

What is the functional group of an alcohol?

The functional group of an alcohol is a hydroxyl group or -OH bonded to an sp3 hybridized carbon.

How are alcohols named?

By replacing the suffix -e for -ol.

How are compounds named with more than one hydroxyl group?

With two hydroxyl groups a compound is named diol and with three it is named a triol.
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What is the most important physical property of an alcohol?

That the hydroxyl group is polar with a large difference in electronegativity between oxygen and carbon.

What is the difference in pysical properties of alcohols and alkanes of the same molecular weight.

When they have approximately the same molecular weight alcohols have a higher boiling point and are better soluble in water.

What is the reason that alcohols have a higher boiling point and are better soluble in water than their alkane counterpart?

This comes from the dipole-dipole interactions between hydroxyl goups and between hydroxyl groups and water, also called hydrogen bonding.

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