x

What makes a compound an alcohol?

What makes a compound an alcohol?

Displayed formula of ethanol with the -OH functional group highlighted and arrows showing fermentation of glucose and hydration of ethene as two routes to ethanol

Alcohols are organic compounds that contain the -OH functional group. The main IGCSE example is ethanol, which can be written as C2H5OHC_2H_5OHC2​H5​OH or CH3CH2OHCH_3CH_2OHCH3​CH2​OH.

Alcohols Lesson

  1. IGCSE
  2. /Chemistry
  3. /Alcohols

Step-by-step lessons covering CIE IGCSE Chemistry Alcohols for Core and Extended tier. Each lesson works through exam-style questions in Paper 1 and Paper 3 (Core) or Paper 2 and Paper 4 (Extended), plus Paper 5 or Paper 6 format. Build a solid grasp of atomic structure, bonding and the mole concept early, since these underpin almost every other topic, then move on to the more calculation-heavy quantitative and organic chemistry content.

Lessons