Alcohols form a homologous series. The table shows information about some alcohols.
| Alcohol | Formula | Boiling point / °C |
|---|---|---|
| methanol | CH3OH\mathrm{CH_{3}OH}CH3OH | 65 |
| ethanol | C2H5OH\mathrm{C_{2}H_{5}OH}C2H5OH | 78 |
| propanol | C3H7OH\mathrm{C_{3}H_{7}OH}C3H7OH | 97 |
| butanol | C4H9OH\mathrm{C_{4}H_{9}OH}C4H9OH | 117 |
| pentanol | C5H11OH\mathrm{C_{5}H_{11}OH}C5H11OH | ? |
Describe the trend in the boiling points of the alcohols in the table.
Predict the boiling point of pentanol.
State the physical state of methanol at 70 °C.
Give two features of the members of a homologous series.
The general formula of the alcohols is CnH2n+1OH\mathrm{C_{n}H_{2n+1}OH}CnH2n+1OH. Use the general formula to write the formula of the alcohol with 8 carbon atoms.
Calculate the relative formula mass (MrM_{r}Mr) of propanol, C3H7OH\mathrm{C_{3}H_{7}OH}C3H7OH. Relative atomic masses: C = 12, H = 1, O = 16
43 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 10.4 Alcohols and carboxylic acids, covering 10.4.1 Alcohols and the -OH functional group, 10.4.2 Carboxylic acids and the -COOH functional group, 10.4.3 Oxidation of alcohols and homologous series, and 10.4.4 Fermentation and fractional distillation of ethanol. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.