Chemistry · Ch 11 — Hydroxy Compounds and Ethers
Introduction
Introduction
You already know from Class XI that hydrolysing an alkyl halide gives an alcohol -- an organic compound carrying the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group. That single functional group turns out to be everywhere in biology and industry: cholesterol (cholesteryl alcohol) is a core component of your cell membranes, retinol (the storage form of vitamin A) keeps your eyes functioning properly, and everyday alcohols serve very different jobs -- methanol as an industrial solvent, ethanol as a petrol additive, isopropyl alcohol as a skin cleanser before an injection.
Because the hydroxyl group can be converted into so many other functional groups, alcohols are also a genuine workhorse of synthetic organic chemistry.
What this unit sets out to do. By the end of it you should be able to:
- describe the important methods of preparing alcohols, and their reactions;
- explain the mechanism of nucleophilic substitution reactions of alcohols and ethers;
- explain the elimination reactions of alcohols;
- describe the preparation and properties of phenols;
- discuss the preparation of ethers, and explain their chemical reactions;
- recognise the uses of alcohols and ethers.
Alfred Nobel -- whose name endows the Nobel Prizes -- discovered that mixing nitroglycerine with an inert absorbent like kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) made it far safer to handle, and patented the result as dynamite in 1867. It's a reminder that this unit's chemistry (nitrate esters, hydroxyl-bearing compounds) has consequences well beyond the classroom.