Organic Chemistry - Alcohols, Phenols & Thiols

Vocabulary flashcards for key terms related to alcohols, phenols, and thiols from organic chemistry lecture notes.

Alcohol

An organic compound in which an —OH group is bonded to a saturated carbon atom.

Hydroxyl Group

The functional group that is characteristic of an alcohol, which is the —OH group.

Polyhydroxy Alcohols

Alcohols that possess more than one hydroxyl group.

Diol

An alcohol in which two hydroxyl groups are present.

Triol

An alcohol containing three hydroxyl groups.

Methyl Alcohol (Methanol)

Methyl alcohol, with one carbon atom and one —OH group, is the simplest alcohol and is sometimes called wood alcohol.

Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol)

The two-carbon monohydroxy alcohol present in alcoholic beverages, commonly referred to as simply alcohol or drinking alcohol.

Denatured Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol that has been rendered unfit to drink by the addition of small amounts of toxic substances (denaturing agents).

Ethylene Glycol (1,2-Ethanediol) and Propylene Glycol (1,2-Propanediol)

The simplest alcohols possessing two —OH groups, also classified as glycols.

Glycol

A diol in which the two —OH groups are on adjacent carbon atoms.

Glycerol (1,2,3-Propanetriol)

A clear, thick liquid with the consistency of honey, having three —OH groups on three different carbon atoms.

Primary Alcohol

An alcohol in which the hydroxyl-bearing carbon atom is bonded to only one other carbon atom.

Secondary Alcohol

An alcohol in which the hydroxyl-bearing carbon atom is bonded to two other carbon atoms.

Tertiary Alcohol

An alcohol in which the hydroxyl-bearing carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms.

Elimination Reaction

A reaction in which two groups or two atoms on neighboring carbon atoms are removed, or eliminated, from a molecule, leaving a multiple bond between the carbon atoms.

Condensation Reaction

A chemical reaction in which two molecules combine to form a larger one while liberating a small molecule, usually water.

Dehydration Reaction

A chemical reaction in which the components of water (H and OH) are removed from a single reactant or from two reactants (H from one and OH from the other).

Phenol

An organic compound in which an —OH group is attached to a carbon atom that is part of an aromatic carbon ring system.

Aryl Group

An aromatic carbon ring system from which one hydrogen atom has been removed.

Antioxidant

A substance that protects other substances from being oxidized by being oxidized itself in preference to the other substances.

Thiols

The sulfur analogs of alcohols, containing —SH functional groups instead of —OH functional groups.

Sulfhydryl Group

The —SH functional group present in thiols.