Chemistry of Alcohols and Phenols

What is the functional group found in alcohols?

What is the difference between a primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohol?

Phenols are more acidic than alcohols.

What happens to the solubility of alcohols in water as the size of the alcohol molecule increases?

What is the principle behind the Ritter Test?

In the Ritter Test, ______ alcohols cannot be oxidized because they lack a hydrogen atom on the carbon bonded to the hydroxyl group.

The Ritter Test can differentiate between primary and secondary alcohols but not between primary and tertiary alcohols.

What happens to the color of potassium permanganate when it oxidizes primary or secondary alcohols?

What is the purpose of using acetic acid in the Ritter Test?

Alcohols and Phenols

Alcohols are compounds containing a hydroxyl (OH) group bonded to a carbon atom.
Alcohols are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary based on the number of carbon atoms bonded to the carbon atom with the hydroxyl group.
Primary alcohols have one carbon atom bonded to the carbon with the hydroxyl group.
Secondary alcohols have two carbon atoms bonded to the carbon with the hydroxyl group.
Tertiary alcohols have three carbon atoms bonded to the carbon with the hydroxyl group.
Phenols have a hydroxyl group directly bonded to an aromatic ring.
Phenols are more acidic than alcohols.
Sufficient aqueous sodium hydroxide will deprotonate the hydroxyl group (-OH) in phenols, but not in alcohols.

Physical Properties

Solubility in water: Smaller alcohols are water-soluble due to hydrogen bonding. Larger alcohols are less soluble because the nonpolar alkyl groups disrupt hydrogen bonding. Phenol solubility is similar to alcohols.
State: Alcohols can be solid if the size of the molecule is large, and most phenols are solid.

Chemical Properties

Oxidation: Primary and secondary alcohols can be oxidized by potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to aldehydes and ketones respectively (then onward to carboxylic acids with primary alcohols). Tertiary alcohols do not react.
Ritter test:
- Differentiates primary and secondary alcohols from tertiary.
- Potassium permanganate (purple) oxidizes primary and secondary alcohols to form brown MnO2.
- Tertiary alcohols do not react; permanganate color remains purple.

This quiz covers the essential concepts of alcohols and phenols, including their structural classifications, acidity, and physical properties. Test your understanding of how hydroxyl groups influence solubility and the distinctions between different types of alcohols. Dive deep into these important organic compounds and their reactivity!