Alcohols are an important class of organic compounds. Many biologically important molecules have the alcohol functional group. One of these (ethanol) is an important component of wine.
This group of compounds can also be used as examples in exercises which involve important structural principles which can be applied to organic compounds having other functional groups.
The exercises in this activity include
- deducing the number of double bond equivalents (degrees of unsaturation) in a compound from the molecular formula for the compound
- deducing the possible functional groups present in the compound based on the number of double bond equivalents and its molecular formula
- deducing the number of consitutional isomers possible for molecules with a given functional group and a specified number of carbons
- deducing which of a given set of compounds can exist as enantiomers
- assigning the R/S absolute configuration at a stereogenic centre
- naming of selected compounds