For the alcohol functional group, why is the "H" not acidic and the "OH" not basic?
I asked the same question when I took my first organic chemistry course. Actually, the H IS very slightly acidic and it IS very slightly basic. The pKa as an acid is about 16-19 which makes it very much weaker than acetic acid (vinegar) with a pKa of about 5 but still acid enough to form the alkoxides with sodium metal or NaH; i.e., CH3COOH + Na ==> CH3COONa + H2.
The oxygen of the OH group also has two sets of unpaired electrons which makes it usable as a base albeit a very weak base. For example, in the presence of very strong acids, such as H2SO4, it can form the CH3COOH2^+ which makes it a base because it has accepted a proton. Take a look at this site and scroll down to "physical and chemical properties" where they have good diagrams to show this action.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol
To understand why the "H" in the alcohol functional group is not acidic and the "OH" is not basic, we need to look at the concept of acidity and basicity in organic chemistry.
Acidity refers to the tendency of a molecule or ion to lose a proton (H+). Basicity, on the other hand, refers to the tendency to gain a proton. In the case of alcohols, the presence of the hydroxyl group (-OH) does not make it basic because the oxygen atom, which is more electronegative than hydrogen, attracts the electron density towards itself. This affects the ability of the oxygen atom to accept a proton, therefore reducing its basicity.
On the other hand, the presence of the hydrogen atom (H) in the alcohol functional group does not make it acidic because the hydrogen atom is not directly bonded to an electronegative atom. In acidic compounds, such as carboxylic acids, the acidic hydrogen is bonded to an electronegative atom (e.g., oxygen) that can stabilize the negative charge formed upon losing a proton. Since alcohols lack this stabilizing factor, they do not exhibit significant acidity.
In summary, despite having the hydroxyl group, alcohols are not considered basic due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the oxygen atom. Similarly, the absence of an electronegative atom bonded to the hydrogen prevents alcohols from being strongly acidic.