Lesson 5 of 6 · Organic Chem

Experiment⭐ 30 XP

Alcohols and Carboxylic Acids

🧪Lab Brief #5

Organic Chem.

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

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Mind = Blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

What You'll Learn

Alcohols contain the −OH group and are named with the ending -ol. They burn, react with sodium, and oxidise to carboxylic acids, which contain −COOH and end in -oic acid. Ethanol oxidising to ethanoic acid is why wine turns to vinegar.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

dilute ethanol
dilute ethanoic acid
universal indicator
sodium carbonate
test tubes
spotting tile

Safety First

Ethanol is highly flammable — no flames during this practical.
Waft vapours towards your nose with a hand; never inhale directly from a tube.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Test ethanol and ethanoic acid solutions with universal indicator, with sodium carbonate, and by smell wafted carefully. Tabulate the results and use them to identify the functional group in an unknown.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

The functional group in alcohols is:

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

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For the dinner table

“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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