Alcohols

Alcohols are a homologous series, meaning they all have the same functional group, which is having a carbon bonded to an oxygen which is bonded to a hydrogen.

The four main alcohols are:

• Methanol

• Ethanol

• Propanol

• Butanol

Making ethanol

Hydrating ethene

Hydrating ethene is a way we can make ethanol. It produces a high yield of ethanol, which is good. But it requires a lot of energy and comes from crude oil, which is non renewable.

Fermentation

Start with a sugar solution and mix this with yeast.

The yeast converts this sugar solution to a solution of ethanol. Carbon dioxide gas is also produced.

The temperature should be around 30 degrees. The reaction also must take place in anaerobic conditions (without oxygen.)

The low temperature means the reaction doesn’t require a lot of energy, and the sugar comes from plants meaning it is renewable. However, the product is an aqueous solution, meaning we need to purify it by distillation, which requires energy.