Classify as primary, secondary, tertiary alcohols.
i. 2-butanol
ii. 3-methyl-3-pentanol
iii. 2-methyl-1-pentanol
iv. 3-chlorocyclohexanol
Here is how you tell them apart.
primary: C holding the OH group has two H atoms; i.e., RCH2OH.
secondary: C holding the OH has 1 H atom; i.e., R2CHOH.
tertiary: C holding the OH group has no H atoms; i.e., R3C-OH
i. 2º
ii. 3º
iii. 1º
iv. 2º
3º= OHCR3
2º=OHCHR2
1º=OHCH2R
Double check and post your answers if you have something different.
Didn't know that you answered.
To classify alcohols as primary, secondary, or tertiary, we need to look at the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbon atom bonded to the -OH group.
A primary alcohol (1°) has one alkyl group (R) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group.
A secondary alcohol (2°) has two alkyl groups (R) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group.
A tertiary alcohol (3°) has three alkyl groups (R) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group.
Now, let's classify the alcohols you provided:
i. 2-butanol: This alcohol has 2 carbon atoms and one alkyl group (methyl) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group. Since there is only one alkyl group, 2-butanol is classified as a primary alcohol (1°).
ii. 3-methyl-3-pentanol: This alcohol has 5 carbon atoms and two alkyl groups (methyl) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group. Since there are two alkyl groups, 3-methyl-3-pentanol is classified as a secondary alcohol (2°).
iii. 2-methyl-1-pentanol: This alcohol also has 5 carbon atoms, but it has one alkyl group (methyl) attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group. Since there is only one alkyl group, 2-methyl-1-pentanol is classified as a primary alcohol (1°).
iv. 3-chlorocyclohexanol: This alcohol has a cyclohexane ring, and it also has one alkyl group (methyl) as well as one chlorine atom attached to the carbon bonded to the -OH group. Again, since there is only one alkyl group, 3-chlorocyclohexanol is classified as a primary alcohol (1°).
To summarize:
i. 2-butanol is a primary alcohol (1°).
ii. 3-methyl-3-pentanol is a secondary alcohol (2°).
iii. 2-methyl-1-pentanol is a primary alcohol (1°).
iv. 3-chlorocyclohexanol is a primary alcohol (1°).