Physical and Chemical Properties

What are three physical properties of alcohols?

1. Hydroxyl groups
   • Confer polarity
   • Can form hydrogen bonds
2. Solubility - A tug of war:
   • Polar hydroxyl group increases water solubility
     • The hydroxyl group of methanol, ethanol, and propanol dominates and these alcohols are miscible in water
   • Non-polar carbon chains decrease water solubility
     • Although the smallest alcohols are water soluble, the presence of hydrocarbon chains makes alcohols miscible in organic solvents, esp. pentanol and longer chains
3. Hydrogen bonding increases the boiling point when compared to ethers or other similar-sized hydrocarbons

What chemical properties does the hydroxyl group confer to alcohols?

1. Nucleophilicity
   • This allows alcohols to react with each other to form ethers and esters
2. Ability to undergo elimination
   • At high temperatures

What is the infrared absorption of the hydroxyl group ($C-OH$)?

Bond Frequency	($cm^{-1}$)
$C-OH$	$\sim$3300