Alcohol | Definition, Formula, & Facts | Britannica
2024年12月11日 · Alcohol, any of a class of organic compounds with one or more hydroxyl groups attached to a carbon atom of an alkyl group. Alcohols may be considered as organic derivatives of water (H2O) in which a hydrogen atom has been replaced by an alkyl group. Examples include ethanol, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol.
Structure and classification of alcohols - Encyclopedia Britannica
2024年12月11日 · One way of classifying alcohols is based on which carbon atom is bonded to the hydroxyl group. If this carbon is primary (1°, bonded to only one other carbon atom), the compound is a primary alcohol. A secondary alcohol has the hydroxyl group on a secondary (2°) carbon atom, which is bonded to two other carbon atoms.
Characteristics of alcohol | Britannica
Ethanol (grain alcohol) and methanol (wood alcohol) are the best-known alcohols with one hydroxyl group. Glycols (e.g., ethylene glycol, or antifreeze) contain two hydroxyl groups, glycerol three, and polyols three or more.
Alcohol - Reactions, Chemistry, Uses | Britannica
2024年12月11日 · The most common reactions of alcohols can be classified as oxidation, dehydration, substitution, esterification, and reactions of alkoxides. Alcohols may be oxidized to give ketones, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids.
Chemical compound - Alcohols, Phenols, Structure | Britannica
Chemical compound - Alcohols, Phenols, Structure: An oxygen atom normally forms two σ bonds with other atoms; the water molecule, H2O, is the simplest and most common example. If one hydrogen atom is removed from a water molecule, a hydroxyl functional group (―OH) is …
Alcohol - Boiling Point, Solubility, Flammability | Britannica
2024年12月11日 · Alcohol - Boiling Point, Solubility, Flammability: Most of the common alcohols are colourless liquids at room temperature. Methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol are free-flowing liquids with fruity odours.
Alcohol - Fermentation, Synthesis, Distillation | Britannica
2024年12月11日 · A wide variety of alcohols can be synthesized by Grignard additions. A Grignard reagent adds to formaldehyde to give a primary alcohol with one additional carbon atom, to an aldehyde to give a secondary alcohol, and to a ketone to yield a tertiary alcohol. Grignard reagents add twice to esters to give alcohols (upon hydrolysis). This technique ...
Alcohol - Esterification, Chemistry, Reactions | Britannica
Alcohol - Esterification, Chemistry, Reactions: Alcohols can combine with many kinds of acids to form esters. When no type of acid is specified, the word ester is assumed to mean a carboxylic ester, the ester of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid.
Alcohol - Ethanol, Methanol, Propanol | Britannica
2024年12月11日 · chemical compound: Alcohols and phenols Methanol has a high octane rating and a low emission of pollutants—characteristics that make it a valuable fuel for automobile engines. From the late 1960s until 2006, the cars at the Indianapolis 500 , the automobile race held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, were powered by methanol ...
Primary alcohol | Britannica
In alcohol: Structure and classification of alcohols …atom), the compound is a primary alcohol. A secondary alcohol has the hydroxyl group on a secondary (2°) carbon atom, which is bonded to two other carbon atoms.