Editing Primary alcohol

{{Short description|Alcohol in which the hydroxy group is bonded to a primary carbon atom}}
[[Image:Ethanol-2D-skeletal.svg|thumb|[[Ethanol]]]]
[[Image:1-Butanol skeletal.svg|thumb|[[n-Butanol|Butanol]]]]
A '''primary alcohol''' is an [[Alcohol (chemistry)|alcohol]] in which the [[hydroxy group]] is bonded to a [[primary carbon]] atom. It can also be defined as a molecule containing a “–CH<sub>2</sub>OH” group.<ref>{{cite web | title = Definition: primary alcohol from Online Medical Dictionary | url = http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?primary+alcohol | access-date = 2007-11-22 }} {{Dead link| date = September 2019 | fix-attempted = yes}}</ref>
In contrast, a '''secondary alcohol''' has a formula “–CHROH” and a '''tertiary alcohol''' has a formula “–CR<sub>2</sub>OH”, where “R” indicates a carbon-containing group.

Examples of primary alcohols include [[ethanol]], [[1-propanol]], and [[n-Butanol|1-butanol]].

[[Methanol]] is also generally regarded as a primary alcohol,<ref name="titlean introduction to alcohols">{{Cite web|url=http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alcohols/background.html |title=Introducing Alcohols |publisher=Jim Clark (2015)|access-date=2023-09-29 }}</ref><ref name="isbn0-7641-1664-9">{{Cite book |author=Albert S. Tarendash |title=Let's review: chemistry, the physical setting |publisher=Barron's |location=Boston, Mass |year=2001 |isbn=0-7641-1664-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/letsreviewchemis03edtare/page/161 161] |url=https://archive.org/details/letsreviewchemis03edtare/page/161 }}</ref> including by the 1911 edition of the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]].<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Alcohols |volume=1 |page=527}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Alcohol (chemistry)|Alcohol]] (especially Nomenclature section for discussion on Secondary and Tertiary alcohols.)
* [[Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Alcohols}}

[[Category:Primary alcohols| ]]


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