Alcohol

An organic compound with a hydroxyl group bonded to a saturated carbon atom. Alcohols range from simple molecules such as methanol to complex natural products.

Hydroxyl group: An oxygen–hydrogen functional group written –OH, found in alcohols and other compounds. Its attachment to saturated carbon defines the alcohol functional group.
Acid–base reaction: A reaction involving transfer of a proton between chemical species. Alcohols can donate or accept protons, though they are weak acids and weak bases.
Methanol: The simplest alcohol, with the formula CH₃OH; it is toxic and widely used as a chemical feedstock. Methanol illustrates the simplest structure and major industrial uses of the alcohol family.
Ether: An organic compound in which an oxygen atom is bonded to two carbon groups. Ethers contain oxygen but lack the alcohol O–H bond.
Glycerol: A three-carbon triol that forms the backbone of many fats and phospholipids. Its three hydroxyl groups make glycerol a biologically abundant example of a polyol.
Alkane: A saturated hydrocarbon containing only carbon–carbon single bonds. Replacing an alkane hydrogen with hydroxyl produces a simple alcohol.
Nucleophilic substitution: A reaction in which a nucleophile replaces a leaving group on an electrophilic atom. Converting the hydroxyl group into a better leaving group enables substitution at its carbon.
Ethanol: A two-carbon alcohol, C₂H₅OH, used as a solvent, fuel, and intoxicating ingredient in beverages. Ethanol is a prominent fuel and solvent as well as the alcohol in alcoholic drinks.
Aldehyde: An organic compound containing a terminal carbonyl group bonded to hydrogen. Oxidation of a primary alcohol can produce an aldehyde.
Sorbitol: A six-carbon sugar alcohol used in foods, medicines, and personal-care products. Sorbitol shows how reduction of a sugar yields a water-soluble polyhydric alcohol.

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