Chapter 10.1: Structure and Nomenclature of Alcohols

o The functional group of an alcohol is an –OH (hydroxyl) group

o Common names for alcohols are derived by naming the alkyl group bonded to –OH and then adding the work alcohol

o We classify alcohols as primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°), depending on whether the –OH group is on a primary, secondary, or tertiary carbon

o Compounds containing hydroxyl groups on adjacent carbons are often referred to as glycols

diol

o In IUPAC names for diols, triols, and so on, the final -e (the suffix) of the parent alkane named is retained

o In the IUPAC system, the longest chain of carbon atoms containing the –OH group is selected as the parent alkane and numbered from the end closer to –OH o To show that the compound is an alcohol, change the suffix -e of the parent alkane to -ol and use a number to show the location of the –OH group

o Compounds containing -OH and C=C groups are often referred to as unsaturated alcohols because of the presence of the carbon-carbon double bond

both are sp3 hybridized

o For cyclic alcohols, numbering begins with the carbon bearing the –OH group  Because the –OH group is understood to be on carbon 1 of the ring, there is no need to give its location a number

a compound containing three hydroxyl groups

a compound containing two hydroxyl groups

triol