Alcohols Mastery

● Alcohols contain the functional group –OH.

● Methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol are the first four members of a homologous series of
alcohols.
● Alcohols can be represented in the following forms:

CH3CH2OH
Or

You should be able to:

❖ describe what happens when any of the first four alcohols react with sodium, burn in air,
are added to water, react with an oxidising agent
❖ recall the main uses of these alcohols.

● Aqueous solutions of ethanol are produced when sugar solutions are fermented using yeast.

You should know the conditions used for fermentation of sugar using yeast.
You should be able to recognise alcohols from their names or from given formulae.
You need to know the names of the individual alcohols methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol.
You are expected to write balanced chemical equations for the combustion reactions of alcohols

Alcohols – contain the -OH functional group

1. Draw and name the first four alcohols

2. Write the structural formula of each of these alcohols
3. Explain why chemists use structural formula
4. State what is meant by homologous series
5. Describe how sugar can be fermented and write the word equation for the reaction,
6. On complete combustion, alcohols form carbon dioxide and water. Write a word and symbol equation for the complete
combustion of each of the first four alcohols.
7. Calculate the energy of combustion of ethane, ethene and ethanol. Which would be the most effective fuel? 1. The C=O
bond in carbon dioxide is 799kJ/mol. The C=C bond energy is 614kJ/mol

Reactions of alcohols

8. Write a word and balanced symbol equation for the reaction of propanol with sodium
9. What would you expect to see as part of this reaction?
10. Ethan-1,1-diol has two –OH groups attached to one of its carbons.
a) Draw out this molecule
b) This molecule can be written as CH3CH(OH)2 Write a symbol equation for the reaction between this molecule and
sodium
11. An alkane with 12 carbons is cracked to form an alkane with 6 carbons and two identical alkenes.
a. Write a balanced symbol equation for this process
b. State two ways in which this cracking can be carried out
c. Why is cracking beneficial?
d. How would you separate the products from each other?
e. How could you tell the difference between the alkane and the alkene?
f. Give a word and symbol equation for the reaction which would turn the alkene product into an alcohol

12. Propanol burns completely in air.

a. Give the displayed formula for propanol.
b. Give the structural formula for propanol.
c. Write the word and balanced equation for the reaction.
d. Draw a dot and cross diagram for:
i. Oxygen
ii. Water
iii. Carbon dioxide
iv. Propanol (extension)
e. Explain, using its structure and bonding, why oxygen is a gas at room temperature.