Chapter 17
Alcohols and Phenols
Based on McMurry’s Organic
Chemistry, 7th edition
Prepared By : Dr. Ishaq A H Takruri
Philadelphia University
Pharmacy department
Alcohols and Phenols
Alcohols contain an (-OH )group connected to a a saturated C (sp3)
They are important solvents and synthesis intermediates
Phenols contain an (-OH )group connected to a carbon in a benzene ring
Methanol, CH3OH, called methyl alcohol, is a common solvent, a fuel
additive, produced in large quantities
Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, called ethyl alcohol, is a solvent, fuel, beverage
Phenol, C6H5OH (“phenyl alcohol”) has diverse uses - it gives its name
to the general class of compounds
(-OH )groups bonded to vinylic, sp2-hybridized carbons are called enols
2
Why this Chapter?
To begin to study oxygen-containing
functional groups
These groups lie at the heart of biological
chemistry
3
17.1 Naming Alcohols and Phenols
 General classifications of alcohols based on
substitution on C to which OH is attached
 Methyl (C has 3 H’s), Primary (1°) (C has two
H’s, one R), secondary (2°) (C has one H,
two R’s), tertiary (3°) (C has no H, 3 R’s),
4
IUPAC Rules for Naming Alcohols
 Select the longest carbon chain containing the hydroxyl
group, and derive the parent name by replacing the -e
ending of the corresponding alkane with -ol
 Number the chain from the end nearer the hydroxyl group
 Number substituents according to position on chain, listing
the substituents in alphabetical order
5
Naming Phenols
 Use “phenol” (the French name for benzene)
as the parent hydrocarbon name, not
benzene
 Name substituents on aromatic ring by their
position from OH
6
17.2
Properties of
Alcohols and Phenols
 The structure around O of the alcohol or phenol is similar to that in




water, sp3 hybridized
Alcohols and phenols have much higher boiling points than similar
alkanes and alkyl halides
A positively polarized OH hydrogen atom from one molecule is
attracted to a lone pair of electrons on a negatively polarized oxygen
atom of another molecule
This produces a force that holds the two molecules together
These intermolecular attractions are present in solution but not in the
gas phase, thus elevating the boiling point of the solution
7
Properties of Alcohols and
Phenols: Acidity and Basicity
 Weakly basic and weakly acidic
 Alcohols are weak Brønsted bases
 Protonated by strong acids to yield oxonium ions,
ROH2+
8
Alcohols and Phenols are Weak
Brønsted Acids
 Can transfer a proton to water to a very small
extent
 Produces H3O+ and an alkoxide ion, RO, or
a phenoxide ion, ArO
9
Acidity Measurements
 The acidity constant, Ka, measures the extent to
which a Brønsted acid transfers a proton to water
[A] [H3O+]
Ka = —————
and pKa = log Ka
[HA]
 Relative acidities are more conveniently presented on
a logarithmic scale, pKa, which is directly proportional
to the free energy of the equilibrium
 Differences in pKa correspond to differences in free
energy
 Table 17.1 presents a range of acids and their pKa
values
10
pKa Values for Typical OH Compounds
11
Relative Acidities of Alcohols
 Simple alcohols are about as acidic as water
 Alkyl groups make an alcohol a weaker acid
 The more easily the alkoxide ion is solvated by water
the more its formation is energetically favored
 Steric effects are important
12
Inductive Effects
 Electron-withdrawing groups make an alcohol a
stronger acid by stabilizing the conjugate base
(alkoxide)
13
Generating Alkoxides from Alcohols
 Alcohols are weak acids – requires a strong base to
form an alkoxide such as NaH, sodium amide
NaNH2, and Grignard reagents (RMgX)
 Alkoxides are bases used as reagents in organic
chemistry
14
Phenol Acidity
 Phenols (pKa ~10) are much more acidic than
alcohols (pKa ~ 16) due to resonance stabilization of
the phenoxide ion
 Phenols react with NaOH solutions (but alcohols do
not), forming salts that are soluble in dilute aqueous
solution
 A phenolic component can be separated from an
organic solution by extraction into basic aqueous
solution and is isolated after acid is added to the
solution
15
Nitro-Phenols
 Phenols with nitro groups at the ortho and para
positions are much stronger acids
16
17.3 Preparation of Alcohols: A
Review
 Alcohols are derived from many types of compounds
 The alcohol hydroxyl can be converted to many other
functional groups
 This makes alcohols useful in synthesis
17
Review: Preparation of Alcohols by
Regiospecific Hydration of Alkenes
 Hydroboration/oxidation: syn, non-Markovnikov
hydration
 Oxymercuration/reduction: Markovnikov hydration
18
1,2-Diols
 Review: Cis-1,2-diols from hydroxylation of an alkene
with OsO4 followed by reduction with NaHSO3
 Trans-1,2-diols from acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of
epoxides
19
17.4 Alcohols from Reduction of
Carbonyl Compounds
 Reduction of a carbonyl compound in general gives
an alcohol
 Note that organic reduction reactions add the
equivalent of H2 to a molecule
20
Reduction of Aldehydes and Ketones
 Aldehydes gives primary alcohols
 Ketones gives secondary alcohols
21
Reduction Reagent: Sodium
Borohydride
 NaBH4 is not sensitive to moisture and it does not
reduce other common functional groups
 Lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4) is more powerful,
less specific, and very reactive with water
 Both add the equivalent of “H-”
22
Mechanism of Reduction
 The reagent adds the equivalent of hydride to the
carbon of C=O and polarizes the group as well
23
Reduction of Carboxylic Acids and
Esters
 Carboxylic acids and esters are reduced to give
primary alcohols
 LiAlH4 is used because NaBH4 is not effective
24
17.5 Alcohols from Reaction of Carbonyl
Compounds with Grignard Reagents
 Alkyl, aryl, and vinylic halides react with magnesium
in ether or tetrahydrofuran to generate Grignard
reagents, RMgX
 Grignard reagents react with carbonyl compounds to
yield alcohols
25
Reactions of Grignard Reagents with
Carbonyl Compounds
26
Reactions of Esters and Grignard
Reagents
 Yields tertiary alcohols in which two of the
substituents carbon come from the Grignard reagent
 Grignard reagents do not add to carboxylic acids –
they undergo an acid-base reaction, generating the
hydrocarbon of the Grignard reagent
27
Grignard Reagents and Other Functional
Groups in the Same Molecule
 Can't be prepared if there are reactive functional
groups in the same molecule, including proton donors
28
Mechanism of the Addition of a
Grignard Reagent
 Grignard reagents act as nucleophilic carbon anions
(carbanions, : R) in adding to a carbonyl group
 The intermediate alkoxide is then protonated to
produce the alcohol
29
17.6 Reactions of Alcohols
 Conversion of alcohols into alkyl halides:
3˚ alcohols react with HCl or HBr by SN1 through
carbocation intermediate
- 1˚ and 2˚ alcohols converted into halides by treatment with
SOCl2 or PBr3 via SN2 mechanism
-
30
31
Conversion of Alcohols into Tosylates
 Reaction with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (tosyl
chloride, p-TosCl) in pyridine yields alkyl tosylates,
ROTos
 Formation of the tosylate does not involve the C–O
bond so configuration at a chirality center is
maintained
 Alkyl tosylates react like alkyl halides
32
Stereochemical Uses of Tosylates
 The SN2 reaction of an alcohol via a tosylate,
produces inversion at the chirality center
 The SN2 reaction of an alcohol via an alkyl halide
proceeds with two inversions, giving product with
same arrangement as starting alcohol
33
Dehydration of Alcohols to Yield
Alkenes
 The general reaction: forming an alkene from an
alcohol through loss of O-H and H (hence
dehydration) of the neighboring C–H to give  bond
 Specific reagents are needed
34
Acid- Catalyzed Dehydration
 Tertiary alcohols are readily dehydrated with acid
 Secondary alcohols require severe conditions (75%
H2SO4, 100°C) - sensitive molecules don't survive
 Primary alcohols require very harsh conditions –
impractical
 Reactivity is the result of the nature of the
carbocation intermediate
35
Dehydration with POCl3
 Phosphorus oxychloride in the amine solvent pyridine
can lead to dehydration of secondary and tertiary
alcohols at low temperatures
 An E2 via an intermediate ester of POCl2 (see Figure
17.7)
36
Conversion of Alcohols into
Esters
37
17.7 Oxidation of Alcohols
 Can be accomplished by inorganic reagents, such as
KMnO4, CrO3, and Na2Cr2O7 or by more selective,
expensive reagents
38
Oxidation of Primary Alcohols
 To aldehyde: pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC,
C5H6NCrO3Cl) in dichloromethane
 Other reagents produce carboxylic acids
39
Oxidation of Secondary Alcohols
 Effective with inexpensive reagents such as
Na2Cr2O7 in acetic acid
 PCC is used for sensitive alcohols at lower
temperatures
40
Mechanism of Chromic Acid
Oxidation
 Alcohol forms a chromate ester followed by
elimination with electron transfer to give ketone
 The mechanism was determined by observing the
effects of isotopes on rates
41
17.8 Protection of Alcohols
 Hydroxyl groups can easily transfer their proton to a
basic reagent
 This can prevent desired reactions
 Converting the hydroxyl to a (removable) functional
group without an acidic proton protects the alcohol
42
Methods to Protect Alcohols
 Reaction with chlorotrimethylsilane in the presence of
base yields an unreactive trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether
 The ether can be cleaved with acid or with fluoride
ion to regenerate the alcohol
43
Protection-Deprotection
 An example of TMS-alcohol protection in a synthesis
44
17.9 Phenols and Their Uses
 Industrial process from readily available cumene
 Forms cumene hydroperoxide with oxygen at high
temperature
 Converted into phenol and acetone by acid
45
17.10 Reactions of Phenols
 The hydroxyl group is a strongly activating, making
phenols substrates for electrophilic halogenation,
nitration, sulfonation, and Friedel–Crafts reactions
 Reaction of a phenol with strong oxidizing agents
yields a quinone
 Fremy's salt [(KSO3)2NO] works under mild
conditions through a radical mechanism
46
Quinones in Nature
 Ubiquinones mediate electron-transfer processes
involved in energy production through their redox
reactions
47
17.11 Spectroscopy of Alcohols
and Phenols
 Characteristic O–H stretching absorption at 3300 to
3600 cm1 in the infrared
 Sharp absorption near 3600 cm-1 except if H-bonded:
then broad absorption 3300 to 3400 cm1 range
 Strong C–O stretching absorption near 1050 cm1
(See Figure 17.11)
 Phenol OH absorbs near 3500 cm-1
48
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Spectroscopy
NMR: C bonded to OH absorbs at a lower
field,  50 to 80
 1H NMR: electron-withdrawing effect of the nearby
oxygen, absorbs at  3.5 to 4 (See Figure 17-13)

13C


Usually no spin-spin coupling between O–H proton and
neighboring protons on C due to exchange reactions
with moisture or acids
Spin–spin splitting is observed between protons on the
oxygen-bearing carbon and other neighbors
 Phenol O–H protons absorb at  3 to 8
49
Mass Spectrometry
 Alcohols undergo alpha cleavage, a C–C bond
nearest the hydroxyl group is broken, yielding a
neutral radical plus a charged oxygen-containing
fragment
 Alcohols undergo dehydration to yield an alkene
radical anion
50