Alcohol Definition and 159 Threads

In chemistry, alcohol is an organic compound that carries at least one hydroxyl functional group (−OH) bound to a saturated carbon atom. The term alcohol originally referred to the primary alcohol ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which is used as a drug and is the main alcohol present in alcoholic drinks. An important class of alcohols, of which methanol and ethanol are the simplest members, includes all compounds for which the general formula is CnH2n+1OH. Simple monoalcohols that are the subject of this article include primary (RCH2OH), secondary (R2CHOH) and tertiary (R3COH) alcohols.
The suffix -ol appears in the IUPAC chemical name of all substances where the hydroxyl group is the functional group with the highest priority. When a higher priority group is present in the compound, the prefix hydroxy- is used in its IUPAC name. The suffix -ol in non-IUPAC names (such as paracetamol or cholesterol) also typically indicates that the substance is an alcohol. However, many substances that contain hydroxyl functional groups (particularly sugars, such as glucose and sucrose) have names which include neither the suffix -ol, nor the prefix hydroxy-.

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  1. P

    Can water or alcohol be absorbed through the skin with osmosis?

    Can water or alcohol be absorbed through the skin with osmosis? More importantly can it be absorbed into the bloodstream? I know some chemicals can be, what characteristics allow those chemicals to do that? Pan
  2. jimmy p

    Can Ethanol in Vodka Affect the Effectiveness of Antibiotics on Bacteria?

    I have been trying to help a friend out. She is researching how Antibiotics are affected by alcohol... well ethanol (she is using vodka on her different strains of bacteria). Unfortunately we can only find how drugs like cocaine affect antibiotics. Can anyone suggest any links or have any...
  3. B

    Question: Volume occupied by 10% alcohol, 20%, 30%, 40%

    I have looked for months in handbooks, online, in encyclopaedias and so on, tried piecing things together fro mvarious sources, and I still cannot find this. What I basically wish for is a list that tells me what volume a certain mass of a solution of alcohol occupies at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%...
  4. M

    Reoxidation of TPAP by NMO After Oxidation of Alcohol

    Hi, Denis is my name. Study chemistry in Germany. Have to know the mechanism of the reoxidation to TPAP by NMO after TPAP has oxidized an alcohol. Could you help me? Thx, Denis
  5. S

    What do you do when your drunk and what are the benefits of alcohol?

    I haven't posted a thread in long time so I guess one wouldn't hurt. Lately, I've been consuming A LOT of alcohol and according to people around me, I've done some strange stuff after my 8th screwdriver: - I worked out a problem in Differential Equations and I worked it out CORRECTLY (and...
  6. ShawnD

    Why is ethanol the only drinkable alcohol?

    People can drink ethanol and not have a problem, but other alcohols like methanol and propanol are very poisonous; why is that?
  7. Jeebus

    Alcohol Enzyme Reactions: High or Low?

    I was just wondering, and it probably isn't a great, extreme complex question - But does alcohol contain a high or low enzyme reaction rate activity? I know that amylase is not a starch because it comes out negative for Iodine; I know that amylase is not a sugar because it tests negative for...
  8. E

    What are the effects of alcohol on the brain?

    If you'd be kind enough to answer my qeustion, thanks. I'd like know what are the effects of alcohol on the brain? Permanent and temporary
  9. Monique

    How effective is alcohol as a disinfectant for inactivating viruses?

    From the CDC website: During this 10-day period, all members of the household with a SARS patient should carefully follow recommendations for hand hygiene, such as frequent hand washing or the use of alcohol-based hand rubs. In the lab we always have to clean the surfaces to inactivate any...
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