NCHE121

EXPERIMENT 3: REACTIONS OF ALCOHOLS

Report sheet
Surname: C.S KHUMALO___ Student number: _42056322___

Signature:…………………………

1. Draw structures of one primary alcohol, one secondary alcohol and one tertiary
alcohol and give the correct name for each structure you have drawn.
2. Explain why many alcohols are soluble in water. What part of an alcohol will limit its
solubility in water? What part of an alcohol may make it soluble in water?
3. Do you think methanol, ethanol and propanol are soluble in water? Why?
4. Describe the difference between alcohols and phenols.

Unknown Name: ________

2
Alcohols are soluble in water. This is due to the hydroxyl group in the alcohol
which is able to form hydrogen bons with water molecules. Alcohols with a
smaller hydrocarbon chain are very soluble. As the length of the hydrocarbon chain
increases, the solubility in water decreases.

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 3
The hydroxyl group is referred to as a hydrophilic (“water-loving”) group,
because it forms hydrogen bonds with water and enhances the solubility of an
alcohol in water. Methanol, ethanol, n-propyl alcohol are all miscible with water.

4 The alcohols are a class of organic compounds that hold at least one hydroxyl
functional group that is attached to a carbon atom. Phenols, on the other hand, are
organic compounds consisting of a hydroxyl group which is attached to an aromatic
system of hydrocarbons (arene).

A. Solubility Test

Table 1.
Alcohol Solubility in water
1-butanol Insoluble

2-butanol Insoluble

t-butyl alcohol Soluble

Glycerol Soluble

Unknown Soluble

B. Reactivity of alcohols with potassium permanganate

Table 2

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 time (minutes) 1-butanol 2-butanol t-butyl alcohol Unknown
KMnO4 added Formed a Formed two No reaction just The was heat
brownish layers heat only and bubbles of
colour gas
5 Formed a Precipitate and No reaction No reaction
brownish two layers were
colour formed
10 Dark brown Light brown No reaction Clear light
suspension was colour was brown
formed at the formed suspension at
bottom the top
H2SO4 added Clear Brown Clear
suspension at suspension at suspension at
the top and the top the top
brown
suspension at
the bottom
5 Heat and a light Heat and a light Heat and a light
brownish orange colour orange colour
colour was formed was formed
Heat, light
10 brown with Heat, light Heat, brown
clear
suspension at
the top brown with a colour with
clear clear
suspension at suspension at
the top the top

Table 3: Order of oxidation rate

fastest 1st 1-butanol

2nd 2-butanol
3rd Unknown
Slowest 4th t-butyl
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 Table 4: Oxidation products

Alcohol Name of oxidation product Structure of oxidation product

1-butanol Acetic-acid

2-butanol butanoic acid

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 Structure of oxidised product of 1-butanol

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 Structure of oxidized product of 2-butanol

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 C. Lucas Test

Table 5

1-butanol It was warm but there was no reaction

2-butanol No reaction
t-butyl Formed a milky solution
Unknown Heat evolved and there were bubbles of
gas

AFTER THE HOT WATER BATH

2-butanol- the was gas that had evolved in the form of bubbles

Unknowm- a light brown colour was formed

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 D. Phenol

Table 6
Alcohol Colour with ferric chloride

Phenol Yellowish colour

Unknown Light yellow colour

1. What is the color of the ferric chloride solution before adding it to phenol?
= Dark yellow

2. What is the color of the solution after the reaction between phenol and ferric chloride
takes place?
= Yellow colour

3. From the results with ferric chloride, would you classify your unknown as a phenol?
= No

4. What is your unknown number and what class of alcohol is your unknown (primary,
secondary, tertiary, or phenol):
= Secondary

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