AQA GCSE Chemistry contents

Unit 7 · Organic Chemistry

Alcohols & Carboxylic Acids [Chemistry only]

2 min read · part of the full Exam Guide

Alcohols

Functional group –OH. The first four are methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol: $\text{CH}_3\text{OH}$ , $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{OH}$ , $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{CH}_2\text{OH}$ , $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{CH}_2\text{CH}_2\text{OH}$

Reaction	What happens
With sodium	fizzes, giving off hydrogen, more gently than sodium with water
Burning in air	burns with a clean blue flame to give carbon dioxide and water
Added to water	dissolves to give a neutral solution (pH 7)
With an oxidising agent	oxidised to a carboxylic acid: ethanol gives ethanoic acid

Combustion: $\text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{OH} + 3\text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\text{CO}_2 + 3\text{H}_2\text{O}$
Uses: fuels (ethanol in petrol, methylated spirits), solvents (for things that do not dissolve in water, such as in perfumes and inks), and ethanol in alcoholic drinks

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Alcohols
Making ethanol by fermentation
Carboxylic acids

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