How are alcohols formed from alkanes?

For example, if you start with an alkane with a CH3 group, the alkane can be oxidized to a primary alcohol. The aldehyde can be oxidized to a carboxylic acid.

What do the alcohols have in common?

An alcohol is an organic compound with a hydroxyl (OH) functional group on an aliphatic carbon atom. Because OH is the functional group of all alcohols, we often represent alcohols by the general formula ROH, where R is an alkyl group. Alcohols are common in nature.

Are alcohols more reactive than alkanes?

Reactions of Alcohols. Indeed, the dipolar nature of the O–H bond is such that alcohols are much stronger acids than alkanes (by roughly 1030 times), and nearly that much stronger than ethers (oxygen substituted alkanes that do not have an O–H group).

How do I know if a compound is an alcohol an alkane or an alkene?

If an OH group (also called a hydroxyl group) is substituted for a hydrogen atom in a hydrocarbon molecule, the compound is an alcohol. Alcohols are named using the parent hydrocarbon name but with the final -e dropped and the suffix -ol attached.

Which is longer an alkane or an alcohol?

Comparison between alkanes and alcohols: Even without any hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole interactions, the boiling point of the alcohol would be higher than the corresponding alkane with the same number of carbon atoms. Ethanol is a longer molecule, and the oxygen atom brings with it an extra 8 electrons.

Can a simple alkane chain turn into an alcohol?

See attached MSDS sheets for details. Simple Alkane Alcohols: While the Simple Alkanes may be simple and dull, not so once an oxygen atom enters the picture. Depending on its location in the Simple Alkane molecule, it turns the simple hydrocarbon chain into an alcohol or an ether.

How are hydrogen bonds formed in alcohols and alkanes?

In the case of alcohols, hydrogen bonds occur between the partially-positive hydrogen atoms and lone pairs on oxygen atoms of other molecules. The hydrogen atoms are slightly positive because the bonding electrons are pulled toward the very electronegative oxygen atoms. In alkanes, the only intermolecular forces are van der Waals dispersion forces.

What are the boiling points of alkanes and ethers?

Indeed, ethers have boiling points about the same as those of alkanes of comparable molar mass and much lower than those of the corresponding alcohols ( Table 14.4 “Comparison of Boiling Points of Alkanes, Alcohols, and Ethers” ). Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Pure Liquid?