Primary alcohol
Alcohol in which the hydroxy group is bonded to a primary carbon atom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A primary alcohol is an alcohol in which the hydroxy group is bonded to a primary carbon atom. It can also be defined as a molecule containing a "–CH2OH" group.[1] In contrast, a secondary alcohol has a formula "–CHROH" and a tertiary alcohol has a formula "–CR2OH", where "R" indicates a carbon-containing group.
Examples of primary alcohols include ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol.
Methanol is also generally regarded as a primary alcohol,[2][3] including by the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.[4]
See also
- Alcohol (especially Nomenclature section for discussion on Secondary and Tertiary alcohols.)
- Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids
