Alcohols (Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry)
Revision Note
Written by: Stewart Hird
Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham
Alcohols
Alcohols are colourless liquids that dissolve in water to form neutral solutions
The first four alcohols are commonly used as fuels
All alcohols contain the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group which is the part of alcohol molecules that is responsible for their characteristic reactions
A molecule of ethanol
Diagram of the side chain and -OH group in ethanol which characterises its chemistry
The names and structures of the first four alcohols in the homologous series are shown below
In terms of naming, the same system is used as for alkanes and alkenes, with the final ‘e’ being replaced with ‘ol’
Name | Formula | Displayed formula |
|---|---|---|
Methanol | CH3OH |  |
Ethanol | C2H5OH |  |
Propan-1-ol | C3H7OH |  |
Butan-1-ol | C4H9OH |  |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In your exam it is acceptable to write propan-1-ol and butan-1-ol as propanol and butanol respectively.
The 1 indicates that the -OH group is located on the first carbon atom in the molecule as it is possible to have it located on a different carbon atom, but you do not need to know this for your exam.
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