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Organic Chemistry

Alcohols

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

The –OH functional group, the first four alcohols and their formulae, reactions of alcohols with sodium, air, water and oxidising agents, their uses as fuels and solvents, making ethanol by fermenting sugar with yeast and the conditions needed, and the combustion equation for methanol.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is the functional group of the alcohols?

Key term

Name the first four alcohols in order of increasing number of carbon atoms.

Key term

Describe what happens when ethanol reacts with sodium.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the functional group of the alcohols?

    Model answer

    The –OH group.

  2. 2

    A compound has the formula C₃H₇OH. State which homologous series it belongs to and explain how you can tell.

    Model answer

    It is an alcohol, because it contains the –OH functional group.

  3. 3

    Name the first four alcohols in order of increasing number of carbon atoms.

    Model answer

    Methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol.

  4. 4

    Which alcohol contains only one carbon atom?

    Model answer

    Methanol.

  5. 5

    Explain why an alcohol is not classed as a hydrocarbon.

    Model answer

    It contains an oxygen atom as well as carbon and hydrogen, and a hydrocarbon contains carbon and hydrogen only.

  6. 6

    Give the formula of ethanol written so that its functional group is shown.

    Model answer

    CH₃CH₂OH.

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