Alkenes react with steam to produce (form) alcohols

This is one of the most important reaction you should know about. Similarly, there are certain
conditions which are required for this reaction to happen. These are mentioned below.

This reaction occurs at around 300°C and phosphoric (V) acid (H3PO4) is the catalyst which is
used in this reaction. For example,

ethene + steam → ethanol

C2H4 + H2O → C2H5OH

we learned that the reaction of alkenes with steam produces alcohols. Well, you should also
know that the fermentation of glucose is another method to produce ethanol.

Ethanol is present in alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine and to produce ethanol, we
ferment things such as vegetables and fruits.

In this process, we will use micro-organisms, such as yeast, to produce ethanol after reacting
with carbohydrates (like glucose) in the absence of oxygen.
Note: Carbon dioxide is also produced during this reaction.

The equation for this reaction is listed below for your guidance.

C6H12O6 → 2C2H5OH + 2CO2

In the reaction above, a glucose solution (mixed with yeast) undergo fermentation to produce a
dilute solution of ethanol.

Important note: The temperature for this reaction should be 37-degree celsius because, at this
temperature, enzymes work best and this reaction only occurs in the absence of oxygen.

Ethanol is a good solvent, used in alcoholic drinks and is also used as a fuel. This was all about
the topic of alcohols.

REations of alcohols:
In the topic of alkanes and alkenes, we learned that they undergo combustion reaction to
liberate carbon dioxide and water vapours.

 Similarly, alcohols also react with oxygen (combustion reaction) to produce carbon
dioxide and water vapour. For example:

C3H7OH + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O (balanced equation)

This reaction is very useful in our daily life because it is used to give flavours to food items and
therefore, alcohols can be used as fuels as well.

 Alcohols also undergo oxidation reactions when they are heated with an oxidising agent
such as acidified potassium manganate (V||).

When this reaction occurs, carboxylic acid and water are formed (we will learn about
carboxylic acid later in this article). Let me explain this reaction with the help of an example.

C2H5OH + 2[O] → CH3COOH + H2O

In the reaction above, ethanol (alcohol) reacts with oxygen from an oxidising agent, which is
represented by [O], to produce ethanoic acid and water.

Uses of ethanol
Drinks

The "alcohol" in alcoholic drinks is simply ethanol.

Industrial methylated spirits (meths)

Ethanol is usually sold as industrial methylated spirits which is ethanol with a small quantity of
methanol added and possibly some colour. Methanol is poisonous, and so the industrial
methylated spirits is unfit to drink. This avoids the high taxes which are levied on alcoholic
drinks (certainly in the UK!).

As a fuel

Ethanol burns to give carbon dioxide and water and can be used as a fuel in its own right, or in
mixtures with petrol (gasoline). "Gasohol" is a petrol / ethanol mixture containing about 10 -
20% ethanol.

Because ethanol can be produced by fermentation, this is a useful way for countries without an
oil industry to reduce imports of petrol.

As a solvent

Ethanol is widely used as a solvent. It is relatively safe, and can be used to dissolve many
organic compounds which are insoluble in water. It is used, for example, in many perfumes and
cosmetics.

Uses of methanol

As a fuel

Methanol again burns to form carbon dioxide and water.

It can be used a a petrol additive to improve combustion, or work is currently being done on its
use as a fuel in its own right.

As an industrial feedstock
Most methanol is used to make other things - for example, methanal (formaldehyde), ethanoic
acid, and methyl esters of various acids. In most cases, these are in turn converted into further
products.

Making esters from carboxylic acids and alcohols

The chemistry of the reaction

Esters are produced when carboxylic acids are heated with alcohols in the presence of an acid
catalyst. The catalyst is usually concentrated sulphuric acid. Dry hydrogen chloride gas is used in
some cases

The esterification reaction is both slow and reversible. The equation for the reaction between
an acid RCOOH and an alcohol R'OH (where R and R' can be the same or different) is:

So, for example, if you were making ethyl ethanoate from ethanoic acid and ethanol, the
equation would be:

Doing the reactions

On a test tube scale
Carboxylic acids and alcohols are often warmed together in the presence of a few drops
of concentrated sulphuric acid in order to observe the smell of the esters formed.

You would normally use small quantities of everything heated in a test tube stood in a
hot water bath for a couple of minutes.

Because the reactions are slow and reversible, you don't get a lot of ester produced in
this time. The smell is often masked or distorted by the smell of the carboxylic acid. A
simple way of detecting the smell of the ester is to pour the mixture into some water in
a small beaker.
Apart from the very small ones, esters are fairly insoluble in water and tend to form a
thin layer on the surface. Excess acid and alcohol both dissolve and are tucked safely
away under the ester layer.
Small esters like ethyl ethanoate smell like typical organic solvents (ethyl ethanoate is a
common solvent in, for example, glues).
As the esters get bigger, the smells tend towards artificial fruit flavouring - "pear drops",
for example.