Functional Group

“A functional group is an atom, group of atoms or bond that gives a molecule a particular set
of chemical and physical properties”
- are often used to "functionalize" a compound, affording it different physical and
chemical properties than it would have in its original form.
- Functional groups can be used to distinguish similar compounds from each other.
- Functional groups are parts of molecules that result in characteristic features Useful
to group the infinite number of possible organic compounds

Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers

- Alcohol – organic compound that contains a hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to an alkyl
group
- Phenol – organic compound that contains a hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to an aryl
group
- Ether – organic compound that has two alkyl or aryl groups attached to the oxygen atom;
can be thought of as a substituted alcohol.

Alcohols
–Functional group –OH
–Polar molecules dissolve in H2O
–Ethanol: good for your health/bad for your health?
_Alcohols may be classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary, according to which carbon of
the alkyl group is bonded to the hydroxyl group. Most alcohols are colorless liquids or solids
at room temperature.
_Alcohols of low molecular weight are highly soluble in water; with increasing molecular
weight, they become less soluble in water, and their boiling points, vapour pressures,
densities, and viscosities increase.

Steps on naming :
1. Name the longest carbon chain that contains the carbon atom bearing the −OH group.
Drop the final -e from the alkane name, and add the suffix -ol.
2. Number the longest carbon chain starting at the end nearest the −OH group, and use the
appropriate number, if necessary, to indicate the position of the −OH group
3. Name the substituents, and give their numbers as for an alkane or alkene.
4. When the molecule has more than one alcohol group, di, tri, etc before the –ol is used.

Cholesterol
– a waxy substance that is present in blood plasma and in all animal tissues. Chemically,
cholesterol is an organic compound belonging to the steroid family; its molecular formula is
C27H46O with hydroxyl group. In its pure state it is a white, crystalline substance that is
odourless and tasteless
– Cholesterol is essential to life; it is a primary component of the membrane that surrounds
each cell, and it is the starting material or an intermediate compound from which the body
synthesises bile acids, steroid hormones, and vitamin D.