Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, classifications, and named chemical reactions of alcohols, phenols, and ethers as described in the lecture notes.

Alcohol

Class of compounds formed when a hydrogen atom in an aliphatic hydrocarbon is replaced by a hydroxyl ($-OH$) group.

Phenol

Class of compounds formed when a hydrogen atom in an aromatic hydrocarbon is replaced by a hydroxyl ($-OH$) group.

Ether

Compounds formed by substituting a hydrogen atom in a hydrocarbon by an alkoxy ($R-O$) or aryloxy ($Ar-O$) group.

Monohydric alcohols

Alcohols containing only one hydroxyl group in their structure.

Allylic alcohols

Alcohols in which the $-OH$ group is attached to an $sp^{3}$ hybridised carbon adjacent to the carbon-carbon double bond.

Benzylic alcohols

Alcohols in which the $-OH$ group is attached to an $sp^{3}$ hybridised carbon atom next to an aromatic ring.

Vinylic alcohols

Alcohols containing an $-OH$ group bonded to a carbon-carbon double bond (a vinylic carbon).

Simple (Symmetrical) Ethers

Ethers in which the alkyl or aryl groups attached to the oxygen atom are the same (e.g., $C_{2}H_{5}OC_{2}H_{5}$).

Mixed (Unsymmetrical) Ethers

Ethers in which the two groups attached to the oxygen atom are different (e.g., $C_{2}H_{5}OCH_{3}$).

Markovnikov’s Rule

A rule governing the addition of water to unsymmetrical alkenes in the presence of an acid catalyst, where the $-OH$ group attaches to the carbon with fewer hydrogen atoms.

Hydroboration-oxidation

A reaction where diborane $(BH_{3})_{2}$ reacts with alkenes to give trialkyl boranes, which are then oxidized by hydrogen peroxide in aqueous sodium hydroxide to yield alcohols.

Catalytic hydrogenation

The reduction of aldehydes and ketones to alcohols by adding hydrogen in the presence of finely divided metal catalysts like platinum, palladium, or nickel.

Grignard Reagents

Organometallic reagents ($RMgX$) that react with carbonyl compounds to form an adduct, which upon hydrolysis yields primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohols.

Cumene

Isopropylbenzene, the hydrocarbon used commercially to manufacture phenol and acetone via oxidation to cumene hydroperoxide.

Intermolecular hydrogen bonding

The interaction between the $-OH$ groups of different alcohol or phenol molecules responsible for their higher boiling points and solubility in water.

Lucas test

A test using concentrated $HCl$ and $ZnCl_{2}$ to distinguish alcohols; tertiary alcohols produce turbidity immediately, while primary alcohols do not produce turbidity at room temperature.

Esterification

The reaction of alcohols and phenols with carboxylic acids, acid chlorides, or acid anhydrides to form esters.

Acetylation

The introduction of an acetyl group ($CH_{3}CO$) into alcohols or phenols, such as the production of aspirin from salicylic acid.

Pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC)

A complex of chromium trioxide with pyridine and $HCl$ used to oxidize primary alcohols to aldehydes in high yield.

Picric acid

The common name for $2,4,6\text{-trinitrophenol}$, a strong acid formed by treating phenol with concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids.

Kolbe’s reaction

The reaction of phenoxide ion with carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$) followed by acidification to produce ortho-hydroxybenzoic acid (salicylic acid).

Reimer-Tiemann reaction

The reaction of phenol with chloroform in the presence of sodium hydroxide to introduce a $-CHO$ group at the ortho position, yielding salicylaldehyde.

Wood spirit

The historical common name for methanol ($CH_{3}OH$), originally produced by the destructive distillation of wood.

Denaturation of alcohol

Making commercial ethanol unfit for drinking by adding copper sulphate (for color) and pyridine (a foul-smelling liquid).

Williamson synthesis

A laboratory method for preparing symmetrical and unsymmetrical ethers by reacting an alkyl halide with sodium alkoxide.