Alcohols – Nomenclature and Properties
Alcohol Nomenclature, Properties, and Structure In this next series of posts we are going to discuss the reactions of alcohols. As a functional group, alcohols
Read moreAlcohol Nomenclature, Properties, and Structure In this next series of posts we are going to discuss the reactions of alcohols. As a functional group, alcohols
Read moreAcid-Base Reactions Of Alcohols Alcohols are mild acids. Typical aliphatic (i.e. “alkyl”) alcohols such as ethanol, isopropanol, and t-butanol have a pKa of about 16-18, making
Read moreHow To Make Ethers With Alcohols And Acid Symmetrical ethers can be made from the acid-catalyzed dehydration of primary alcohols. A classic example is the
Read moreAcidic Cleavage of Ethers Can Proceed Through an SN2 or SN1 Mechanism, Depending On The Structure Ethers do not undergo very many reactions. One key
Read moreRing-opening of epoxides with basic nucleophiles Epoxides are cyclic ethers with considerable ring strain (about 13 kcal/mol) Epoxides undergo reaction with nucleophiles under basic conditions
Read moreMaking Alkyl Halides From Alcohols In today’s post we show that treating alcohols with HCl, HBr, or HI (which all fall under the catch-all term
Read morePBr3 and SOCl2: Reagents For Converting Alcohols To Good Leaving Groups Alcohols can be converted into alkyl halides with phosphorus tribromide (PBr3) or thionyl chloride
Read moreAll About Elimination Reactions of Alcohols (With Acid) The hydroxyl group of alcohols is normally a poor leaving group. However, when treated with strong acid,
Read moreSimplifying Alcohol Oxidation: “Strong” Oxidants and “Weak” Oxidants Here’s what we’ll talk about today: reagents for the oxidation of alcohols. For the purposes of introductory
Read moreAlcohol Protecting Groups There are many times when it’s useful to mask the reactivity of alcohols since their relatively high acidity interferes with strongly basic
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