Unit 12 Global Context:
Scientific and technical innovation 9 March, 2022
Functional groups –
Alcohols and Carboxylic acids
Learning Question: How do functional groups affect the
chemical properties of a molecule?
Learning Objectives: Key Words:
• Investigate the solubility of alcohols in water, • Functional group
relating observations to the length of the alkyl • Alcohol
• Hydroxyl
chain
• Carboxylic acid
• Describe examples of carboxylic acids
• Outline industrial uses of alcohol and explain
the production of alcohol using fermentation
Alcohols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVwLa1fRsVY
• Alcohols contain the hydroxyl functional group –OH.
• We can recognise an alcohol by the –OH group and
the fact that its name ends in –ol, for example
pentanol.
• Ethanol can be represented in the following forms:
• CH3CH2OH or
Can you suggest a general formula for alcohols?
CnH2n+1OH
Reactions of alcohols
The alcohols undergo complete combustion to
form carbon dioxide and water.
For example, ethanol is used as a fuel:
Ethanol + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
C2H5OH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O
However, the alcohols can also be
chemically oxidised, without combustion in
oxygen, to produce carboxylic acids. For
example, ethanol can be oxidised to ethanoic acid
using an oxidising agent. It is easier to
understand what happens if ethanol is shown as
CH3CH2OH in the balanced equation:
Ethanol + oxidising agent → ethanoic acid + water
CH3CH2OH + 2[O] → CH3COOH + H2O
Examples of alcohols
methanol ethanol propan-1-ol
CH3OH C2H5OH C3H7OH
Uses of Alcohols
Drinks
Fuels Solvents
Making alcohol - fermentation
• Ethanol can be made by fermentation. This process uses yeast to turn
sugars into alcohol.
Fermentation needs the following conditions:
• water
• enzymes from yeast
• a temperature between 25 °C and 40 °C
• an absence of oxygen.
Making alcohol- Industrially
Alkenes react by addition to water to produce alcohols
For example, ethane reacts with steam when passed over a
catalyst, for example concentrated phosphoric acid H3PO4
ethene + steam ethanol
C2H4 +
H2O C2H5OH
Reaction of alcohols with sodium
Because alcohols contain an –OH functional group, they often
react in a similar way to water.
For example, ethanol reacts with sodium to form sodium
ethoxide and hydrogen:
ethanol + sodium sodium ethoxide + hydrogen
2C2H5OH +
2Na 2C2H5ONa +
H2
Solubility in water
The solubility of alcohols in water is affected by both the
–OH functional group and the hydrocarbon chain.
interacts with
opposes
water molecules
interaction
to form new
with water
intermolecular
molecules
bonds.
The –OH functional group enables small alcohols to fully
dissolve in water to form a neutral solution. The larger alcohols
have longer hydrocarbon chains, and are therefore less soluble
in water.
What are carboxylic acids?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED9EU3FfzyU
• Vinegar is made when wine goes sour. The important
component of vinegar is ethanoic acid. Ethanoic acid
is a carboxylic acid that is used as a flavouring.
• All carboxylic acids contain the –COOH functional
group.
ethanol + oxygen Ethanoic acid + water
C2H5OH (aq) +
O2(g) CH3COOH(aq) +
H2O(l)
Carboxylic acids
The properties of carboxylic acids are due to the
presence of the functional group -COOH
O
H C
O H
Methanoic Acid, HCOOH
What’s
wrong here?
CnH2n+1COOH
Learning check
• Which carboxylic acid is this?
• Where is it found?
Properties of carboxylic acids
• Form acidic solutions when dissolved in water
• Less acidic than nitric and hydrochloric acid
• Unpleasant smells and tastes
– Responsible for smelly socks and vinegar
• Normally have higher boiling points than water
• Not Flammable
Reactions of carboxylic acids
• Carboxylic acids show the characteristic reactions of
acids with metals, alkalis and carbonates
• Carboxylic acids react with:
- Metals to form a salt and hydrogen (slowly)
- Carbonates to form a salt, water and carbon
dioxide
- Alkalis to form salt and water (neutralisation)
Task: Write the general word equations for the three
reactions above.
Summary so far…..
Alcohols – OH
• Dissolve in water, neutral solutions.
• React with sodium to make hydrogen and salt.
• Burn in air (combustion).
• Fuels, solvents and food.
• Can be oxidised to carboxylic acids using chemical
oxidising agents.
Summary so far…..
Carboxylic Acids – COOH H
• Produce weak acidic solutions in Hwater.
C COOH
• Incomplete ionisation makes them weak (H+)
H
• React with carbonates to form CO2, salt and
H2O
• Ethanoic acid is vinegar
Reactions of carboxylic acids
Copy and Complete (the first one is done for you):
1. Ethanoic Acid + Sodium Carbonate ->
Sodium Ethanoate + Water + Carbon Dioxide
2. Methanoic Acid + Calcium Carbonate 🡪
Calcium methanoate + Water + Carbon Dioxide
3. Ethanoic Acid + Sodium 🡪
Sodium ethanoate + hydrogen u te s
5 min
4. Propanoic Acid + Magnesium 🡪
Magnesium propanoate + hydrogen
5. Ethanoic Acid + Sodium Hydroxide 🡪
Sodium ethanoate + Water
6. Butanoic Acid + Potassium Hydroxide 🡪
Potassium butanoate + Water
Carboxylic acids as weak acids
• Acids must dissolve in water to show their acidic
properties, as in water all acids ionise
• Strong acids completely ionise in solution
• Weak acids only partially ionise in solution
• In two samples of equal volume, the strong acid
will have a higher concentration of H+ (aq)
HCOOH (aq) + H2O(l) ↔ H3O+(aq) + HCOO-(aq)
Methanoic Acid Base Oxonium Ion Methanoate Ion
Learning Check
1. Name CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2COOH 6m
inu
tes
Hexanoic Acid
2. Give the equation for ethanoic acid reacting
with potassium hydroxide
– Word Equation
– Displayed Formula Equation (Challenge)
Ethanoic Acid + Potassium Hydroxide -> Potassium ethanoate + Water
CH3COOH (aq) + KOH(aq) → CH3CO2K(aq) + H2O (l)
