alcoholas

Alcohols, or alcoholas in some languages, are a class of organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups attached to a carbon atom. The simplest members are methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH). They are typically classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary depending on whether the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group is attached to one, two, or three other carbon atoms. Monohydric alcohols contain one hydroxyl group, while polyols such as glycerol contain more than one.

The hydroxyl group confers polarity and enables hydrogen bonding, giving alcohols physical properties distinct from nonpolar hydrocarbons. Their boiling points are higher than those of alkanes of similar molecular weight, and water solubility decreases with growing carbon chain length.

Major reactions include oxidation (primary alcohols to aldehydes and then to carboxylic acids; secondary alcohols to ketones; tertiary alcohols are resistant to mild oxidation), dehydration to give alkenes under acidic conditions, and esterification with carboxylic acids to form esters. Alcohols can also undergo substitution to form alkyl halides and other derivatives.

Alcohols have wide applications as solvents, intermediates in chemical synthesis, and, in the case of ethanol, as a beverage and fuel. Methanol and higher alcohols are industrially important feedstocks but can be toxic in consumption. Ethanol is produced biologically by fermentation of sugars and industrially by hydration of ethylene. Production methods, safety considerations, and environmental impacts vary by alcohol type.

Note: The term "alcoholas" may be used in some languages as the plural for alcohols; in English the standard plural is "alcohols".