Alcohols

• alcohols are a homologous series of covalently bonded molecules containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
• alcohols can be used as fuels as they take part in combustion reactions
• alcohols are also often used as solvents
• alcohols are highly flammable and burn with a clean flame
• alcohols are saturated molecules
• alcohols have the hydroxyl functional group, OH
• saturated, straight chain alcohols can be represented by the general formula: CnH2n+1OH
• larger alcohols gradually become less soluble as the influence of the OH group decreases with more hydrocarbons
• all alcohols are neutral
• as the molecular size of the alcohol increases the boiling point also increases due to stronger intermolecular forces