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Alcohols

small molecules:
ethanol
spacefilling presentation
wire model
the electron cloud is shown by dots

Alcohols are aliphatic carbon compounds with one or more hydroxyl-groups (-OH) bound directly to a carbon atom. 

    H     
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
    H     

    H     
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
H - C - H 
    |     
    H     

    H     
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
H - C - H 
    |     
H - C - H 
    |     
    H     

    H      
    |      
H - C - OH 
    |      
H - C - CH3
    |      
H - C - H  
    |      
    H      
methanolethanolpropanolisobutanol

Ethanol, Propanol.

If the molecule contains just one -OH group, it is spoken of a monovalent, if it has two of a bivalent and if it has three of a trivalent alcohol or, if it contains several -OH groups of a multivalent alcohol. 


    H     
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
    H     

    H     
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
H - C - OH
    |     
    H     
glycolglycerol

Glycerol 


     H     
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
HO - C - H 
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
     H     

     H     
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
HO - C - H 
     |     
HO - C - H 
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
 H - C - OH
     |     
     H     
sorbit = sorbitolmannit = mannitol

Of importance is also the classification into primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols that is based on the number of H-atoms sitting at the same C-atom as the -OH group. 


     H     
     |     
R1 - C - OH
     |     
     H     

     R2    
     |     
R1 - C - OH
     |     
     H     

     R2    
     |     
R1 - C - OH
     |     
     R3    
primarysecondarytertiary
alcohol


gallery: structure and data of a few alcohols

© Peter v. Sengbusch - b-online@botanik.uni-hamburg.de