Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers — Class 12 CBSE Chemistry revision notes
A 4-page visual revision sheet for Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, written for Class 12 CBSE 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
- -OH on an sp^3 carbon, e.g. CH_3CH_2OH
- classified 1°, 2°, 3° by the carbon it sits on
- weaker acid than phenol; the alkyl group pushes electron density onto oxygen
- -OH directly on an aromatic ring carbon
- the O lone pair conjugates into the ring, so the O-H bond is more polarised
- stronger acid than an alcohol; the phenoxide ion formed is resonance-stabilised across the ring
Classification and nomenclature
- 1°/2°/3°: named by carbons on the carbinol carbon (bearing -OH), same as haloalkane classification
- IUPAC name: replace alkane's -e with -ol, number chain for -OH's lowest locant
- a diol has two -OH groups (e.g. ethylene glycol), a triol has three (e.g. glycerol)
- ethers are named as alkoxyalkanes, e.g. CH_3-O-CH_2CH_3 is methoxyethane
Preparation of alcohols
- from an alkyl halide, aqueous NaOH/KOH, SN2
R-X+NaOHto R-OH+NaX - from a Grignard reagent + formaldehyde, then aqueous acid workup
R-MgX+HCHOto RCH_2-OMgXto RCH_2OH - from an alkene, acid-catalysed hydration (Markovnikov)
R-CH=CH_2+H_2Oto R-CH(OH)-CH_3
Page 1 of 4. The full sheet, all 4 pages, opens free in the app.
What this Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers sheet covers
- Alcohol vs phenol
- Alcohol
- Phenol
- Classification and nomenclature
- Preparation of alcohols
- from an alkyl halide, aqueous NaOH/KOH, SN2
- from a Grignard reagent + formaldehyde, then aqueous acid workup
- from an alkene, acid-catalysed hydration (Markovnikov)
- Lucas test: distinguishing 1°, 2°, 3° alcohols
- Applying the Lucas test
- Dehydration of alcohols
- Alcohol acidity vs phenol acidity
- Alcohol, weaker acid
- Phenol, stronger acid
- Key reactions of phenol
- with bromine water, room temperature, no catalyst needed
- Kolbe's reaction: with NaOH then CO_2
- Williamson ether synthesis
- Ether structure, reactivity and uses
- Symbols
- 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.