In this I/GCSE Chemistry blog post, we will be looking at different alcohols and carboxylic acids
Alcohols:
- Alcohols contain the functional group -OH
Alcohols all have similar chemical properties:
- dissolve in water to form a neutral solution
- react with sodium to produce hydrogen
- burn in air are used as fuels and solvents
- ethanol is the main alcohol in alcoholic drinks
Ethanol can be oxidised to ethanoic acid either by chemical oxidising agents or by microbial action.
Ethanoic acid is the main acid in vinegar
Carboxylic Acids:
Carboxylic Acids contain the functional group -COOH
Carboxylic Acids all have similar chemical properties:
- dissolve in water to produce acidic solutions
- react with carbonates to produce carbon dioxide
- react with alcohols in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce esters
- do not ionise completely when dissolved in water
Therefore they are weak acids
Aqueous solutions of weak acids have a higher pH value (i.e are LESS acidic) than aqueous solutions of strong acids in the same concentration.
- In weak acids, the molecules only partially dissociate
- In a strong acid, the molecules fully dissociate
Strong acids at GCSE are Nitric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid and Sulphuric Acid
That is all!
References:
https://sites.google.com/site/chemistryolp/what-are-alcohols
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocbrown.info%2Fpage04%2FOilProducts10.htm&psig=AOvVaw2UukYqty3Lftc7MUKWdNwM&ust=1629131965474000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCMD5i9a7s_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ