Hydroxy group
In organic chemistry, the hydroxy group[1] or hydroxyl group is a functional group (a piece of a molecule that helps describe how it behaves) that is made from an oxygen atom connected to a hydrogen atom. It has the chemical formula −OH.
The hydroxyl group is very important in organic chemistry; alcohols, carboxylic acids, and sugars all contain hydroxyl groups.
Name
[change | change source]Official IUPAC nomenclature refers to the −OH functional group as a "hydroxy group", with "hydroxyl" referring to the related free radical, ·OH.[1] "Hydroxyl" is still widely used as a common name for the functional group.
Chemistry
[change | change source]Hydroxyl groups can act as both acids and bases (they are amphoteric), but they are generally weak unless combined with other functional groups.
The combination of a hydroxyl group and carbonyl on the same carbon atom is a carboxylic acid group, which is the most common kind of acidic group in organic chemistry. Phenols are more acidic than other alcohols because of how the hydroxyl interacts with the aromatic ring.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. "Alcohols". Compendium of Chemical Terminology Internet edition.
