Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers — Class 12 Maharashtra HSC Chemistry revision notes
A 6-page visual revision sheet for Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, written for Class 12 Maharashtra HSC Chemistry. Formulas, diagrams and the traps that cost marks, laid out to be read the night before rather than the term before. Free, and it opens inside CapCompass.
Page 1 as PDF
Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers in one look
the same -OH group behaves differently on a chain than on a ring, and an ether just hides the OH between two carbons
Alcohol vs Phenol vs Ether
- -OH on an sp^3 carbon: 1 deg, 2 deg, 3 deg by carbons that carbon touches
- -OH on an sp^2 carbon of a C=C is a vinylic alcohol, not classed 1/2/3 deg
- -OH directly on an aromatic ring carbon
- -OH on an sp^3 carbon attached to the ring is aromatic alcohol, benzylic, not phenol
- O bonded to two alkyl and/or aryl groups, R-O-R', Ar-O-R, Ar-O-Ar'
- symmetrical if both groups match, unsymmetrical (mixed) if they differ
Three Ways to Name an Alcohol
- common/trivial: alkyl group name + word 'alcohol', e.g. isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol
- carbinol system: alcohols as substituted methyl alcohol (carbinol), groups named alphabetically first
- IUPAC: alkane's -e becomes -ol, lowest locant to -OH
- polyhydric alcohols keep the -e and add di-/tri-ol with locants: ethane-1,2-diol, propane-1,2,3-triol
Naming Phenols and Ethers
- phenol's IUPAC name is benzenol, though 'phenol' itself is IUPAC-accepted
- substituted phenols use o-/m-/p- or locants 2-/3-/4-: catechol is 1,2-diol, resorcinol 1,3-diol, hydroquinone 1,4-diol
- common ether names: alkyl names alphabetically + 'ether' (di- if both match), e.g. ethyl methyl ether
- IUPAC ether names: alkoxyalkane. LARGER group is the parent, smaller becomes alkoxy-, e.g. 2-methoxypropane
Page 1 of 6. The full sheet, all 6 pages, opens free in the app.
What this Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers sheet covers
- Alcohol vs Phenol vs Ether
- Alcohol
- Phenol
- Ether
- Three Ways to Name an Alcohol
- Naming Phenols and Ethers
- Preparation of Alcohols
- from alkyl halide, hydrolysis
- acid-catalysed hydration of an alkene, Markovnikov
- hydroboration-oxidation, B_2H_6 then H_2O_2/OH^-, anti-Markovnikov
- reduction of an aldehyde/ketone with H_2/Ni or LiAlH_4
- reduction of a carboxylic acid, LiAlH_4 only (H_2/Ni is too weak)
- Reducing a Carbonyl: What Reagent, and What Survives
- Grignard Addition: One Reagent, Any Class of Alcohol
- Preparation of Phenol
- Physical Properties and Hydrogen Bonding
- Laboratory Tests
- Why Phenol Beats Alcohol on Acidity
- Alcohol, weaker acid
- Phenol, stronger acid
- Esterification and Acetyl Derivatives
- Reactions That Break the C-O Bond
- Oxidising an Alcohol: What You Get Depends on the Oxidant
- Mild: PCC or Cu/573K
- Strong: KMnO4/K2Cr2O7/HNO3
- Electrophilic Substitution on Phenol
- Named Reactions of Phenol
- Preparing Ethers
- Physical Properties of Ethers
- Chemical Properties of Ethers
- Aromatic Ethers in Electrophilic Substitution
- Traps that cost marks
- Tricks that save time
How CapCompass uses this sheet
These notes are not a standalone PDF. CapCompass plans Chemistry chapter by chapter against your real exam dates and free hours, and when the plan reaches Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers the sheet opens inside the study block itself — at the page covering the sub-topic that block is on, with the timer still running. Revision arrives at the moment the plan says revise, instead of having to be gone looking for.
More Chemistry Class 12 revision notes
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids
- Amines
- Biomolecules
- Chemical Kinetics
- Chemical Thermodynamics
- Coordination Compounds
- Electrochemistry
- Elements of Groups 16, 17 and 18
- Green Chemistry and Nanochemistry
- Halogen Derivatives
- Introduction to Polymer Chemistry
- Ionic Equilibria
- Solutions
- Transition and Inner Transition Elements