Encyclopedia of Science | Alcohols

• Names and properties
• Alcohols and their uses
• Words to Know

Alcohols are organic (carbon-containing) compounds derived from hydrocarbons (organic compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen). They are formed by replacing the hydrogen atoms in their parent hydrocarbons with one or more hydroxyl groups. Each hydroxyl group (–OH) is made up of one atom of oxygen and one atom of hydrogen and is referred to as a functional group. Functional groups generally determine how a molecule will behave. Alcohols with one hydroxyl group include methanol, ethanol, and propanol.

Names and properties

Alcohols are named from their parent hydrocarbon by substituting the suffix -ol for the final -e. For example, ethane becomes ethanol, methane becomes methanol, and propane becomes...