O level Organic Chemistry brief study notes
Organic Chemistry Brief Notes by chong56 on Scribd Alcohols Introduction • Alcohols are a family of organic compounds containing carbon , hydrogen and oxygen. • The general formula of alcohols is C n H 2n+1 OH (n = 1, 2, 3, 4…) • The reacting group (or functional group) is the hydroxyl group, -OH. • The names of an alcohol end with –ol. • Propanol has 2 isomers. Formation of ethanol • Ethanol is obtained by • (a) fermentation • (b) catalytic addition of steam to ethene • (a) Fermentation breaks down the sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Yeast is used as a catalyst. • C 6 H 12 O 6 --> 2C 2 H 5 OH + 2CO 2 sugar ethanol Temperature of 37 o C is used. Temperature is important in fermentation. • ...