What is a primary alcohol?

1 Answer
anor277
Mar 28, 2016

A primary alcohol is specified when an hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon that has (at least) 2 other hydrogens bound to it.

Explanation:

Methanol and ethyl alcohol, and 1-propanol, #H_3C-CH_2CH_2OH# meet this specification (sometimes the distinction is made between methanol and primary alcohols).

On the other hand, neopentyl alcohol, #(H_3C)_3C-CH_2OH#, is a primary alcohol by this definition. It is supremely unreactive given the shrubbery around the ipso-carbon, and also given that #CH_2OH# has no #beta#-hydrogens.

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