Alcohol: any compound whose molecule contains one or more hydroxyl

group attached to a carbon atom

Volatility: the ease at which a substance turns from liquid to a gas
Solubility: the property of a solid, liquid or gaseous chemical called
solute to dissolve in a liquid, solid or gaseous solvent to form
homogenous solution of the solute in solvent
Hydrogen bonds: strong dipole-dipole attraction between an electron
deficient hydrogen atom on one molecule and a pair of electrons and
highly electronegative atom of a different molecule

Types of alcohol:
• alcohols can either be primary secondary of tertiary
• a primary alcohol is one which has one carbon bonded to the
carbon bonded to the functional group.
Eg. Ethanol
• a secondary alcohol is one which has two carbons bonded to the
carbon bonded to the functional group.
Eg. Propan-2-ol
• a tertiary alcohol is one which has three carbon bonded to the
carbon bonded to the alcohol
Eg. 2-methyl-propan-2-ol
describe and explain the trend in the volatility and solubility of a
successive group of alcohols….
Solubility: the longer the hydrocarbon chain of alcohols the less soluble it
is.
hydrogen bonding increases the solubility of an alcohol as the solubility of
an alcohol as the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group and the oxygen of the
water molecule are able to interact and this allows the alcohol to mix the
water.
Volatility: the longer the hydrocarbon chain of an alcohol the less volatile it
is.
hydrogen bonding decreases the volatility of an alcohol as the additional
heat energy is required to break the interaction between the hydroxyl
groups on neighbouring alcohols (when compared to an alkane of similar
chain length)