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What is an Alcohol?
Alcohols are organic
molecules that form an homologous series
with the general
formula CnH2n+1OH.
Alcohols (like hydrocarbons) are named
according to the number of
carbon atoms in the molecule.
| Methanol, CH3OH, has n=1. | Butanol, C4H9OH, has n=4. |
| Ethanol, C2H5OH, has n=2. | Pentanol, C5H11OH, has n=5. |
| Propanol, C3H7OH, has n=3. | Hexanol, C6H13OH, has n=6. |
What is an Organic Molecule?
Organic
molecules contain carbon. The
alkanes and
alkenes
are
examples of organic
molecules.
Just as alkanes are identified as saturated hydrocarbons,
and alkenes are identified by their double
bond, so
alcohols are identified by having an O–H group in the
molecule.
What is a Functional Group?
The group that identifies an organic molecule
and gives it
its chemical properties is called its functional group.
The O–H
group is the functional group for
alcohols.
Below are links to the
structural formulae of alcohols.
The structural formula is also called the displayed
formula.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is
a complex steroid which is also an
alcohol.
Cholesterol is an
essential substance which is
used to
make cell membranes.
Essential means that
you can't live without it.
However, too much
cholesterol is bad for people and can cause heart disease.
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