Alcohol | Definition, Formula, & Facts | Britannica
Alcohol, any of a class of organic compounds with one or more hydroxyl groups attached to a carbon atom of an alkyl group. Alcohols may be considered as organic derivatives of water (H2O) in which a hydrogen atom has been replaced by an alkyl group. Examples include ethanol, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol.
Alcohol - Organic Compounds, Structure, Classification | Britannica
Alcohol - Organic Compounds, Structure, Classification: Similar to water, an alcohol can be pictured as having an sp3 hybridized tetrahedral oxygen atom with nonbonding pairs of electrons occupying two of the four sp3 hybrid orbitals. (See chemical …
Ethanol | Definition, Formula, Uses, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 7, 2024 · Ethanol, a member of a class of organic compounds that are given the general name alcohols. Ethanol is an important industrial chemical; it is used as a solvent, in the synthesis of other organic chemicals, and as an additive to gasoline. It is also the intoxicating ingredient of many alcoholic beverages.
Chemical compound - Alcohols, Phenols, Structure | Britannica
Oct 18, 2024 · Chemical compound - Alcohols, Phenols, Structure: An oxygen atom normally forms two σ bonds with other atoms; the water molecule, H2O, is the simplest and most common example. If one hydrogen atom is removed from a water molecule, a hydroxyl functional group (―OH) is generated.
Isopropyl alcohol | Uses, Structure, & Formula | Britannica
Nov 22, 2024 · isopropyl alcohol, one of the most common members of the alcohol family of organic compounds. Isopropyl alcohol was the first commercial synthetic alcohol; chemists at the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (later Exxon Mobil) first produced it in 1920 while studying petroleum by-products.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) | Britannica
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a colourless, water-soluble synthetic resin employed principally in the treating of textiles and paper. PVA is unique among polymers (chemical compounds made up of large, multiple-unit molecules) in that it is not built up in polymerization reactions from single-unit
Characteristics of alcohol | Britannica
alcohol, Any of a class of common organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups (―OH) attached to one or more of the carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon chain. The number of other substituent groups (R) on that carbon atom make the alcohol a primary (RCH 2 OH), secondary (R 2 CHOH), or tertiary (R 3 COH) alcohol.
Alcohol - Reactions, Chemistry, Uses | Britannica
Alcohol - Reactions, Chemistry, Uses: Because alcohols are easily synthesized and easily transformed into other compounds, they serve as important intermediates in organic synthesis. A multistep synthesis may use Grignard-like reactions to form an alcohol with the desired carbon structure, followed by reactions to convert the hydroxyl group of ...
Cetyl alcohol | Fatty Alcohol, Emollient, Emulsifier | Britannica
cetyl alcohol, [CH 3 (CH 2) 15 OH], a solid organic compound that was one of the first alcohols to be isolated from fats. Cetyl alcohol was discovered in 1817 by the French chemist Michel Chevreul.
Sugar alcohol | chemical compound | Britannica
In carbohydrate: Chemical reactions …way are called alditols, or sugar alcohols. The product formed as a result of the reduction of the aldehyde carbon of d -glucose is called sorbitol ( d -glucitol).