Characteristics of Alcohols

In simple organic molecules there are a series of derived compounds in which one or more oxygen atoms are replaced by other atoms or compounds. These variations of molecules are called functional groups, and each of these derived compounds share common chemical characteristics. One of these functional groups are alcohols.

Main characteristics of alcohols:

• They are made up of hydrocarbons.
• One or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by hydroxyl radicals (OH).
• The general formula is R-OH.
• They are soluble in water, but their solubility decreases as the number of carbons in the radical increases.
• The lightest, which contain between 1 and 4 carbon atoms, are liquid at room temperature, which contain between 5 and 12 carbon atoms have an oily consistency and those with more than 13 atoms are solid.
• They can be named by adding to the hydrocarbon the ending -ol (methanol, ethanol) or saying alcohol, the name of the hydrocarbon with the ending -yl (methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol).
• They belong to the so-called organic solvents.

An alcohol is made up of a hydrocarbon, where one or more of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by a hydroxyl radical. In its most basic form, the general formula is R-OH, where R is the hydrocarbon, and -OH the hydroxyl that replaces a hydrogen atom.

Types of alcohols:

Depending on the amount of hydroxyl radicals present in the molecule, they can be monoalcohols or polyalcohols.

Monoalcohols or monools: They are alcohols that contain only one hydroxyl radical. In turn, depending on the place where the carbon atom to which the hydroxyl radical binds is located and the hydrogen atoms with which it binds, they are divided into:

Primary alcohols: They are those formed with the carbon atoms that in the hydrocarbon, have a connection with three hydrogen atoms. In this case, the carbon atom is one of the atoms at the ends of the hydrocarbon or its arborescence.

Secondary alcohols: In this case, the carbon atom is connected with two carbon and two hydrogen atoms, of which one is substituted by the hydroxyl to formalize the alcohol.

Tertiary alcohols: In tertiary alcohols, the carbon atom is attached to three other carbon atoms and only one hydrogen atom, which is replaced by the hydroxyl. This happens when alcoholization occurs at the carbon atom where there is an arborescence.

Polyalcohols or polyols: When the alcohol molecule contains two or three or more hydroxyl radicals, then they are called polyalcohols. Dialcohols or diols contain two hydroxyl radicals and trialcohols or triols contain three hydroxyl radicals.