Difference Between Alcohol and Phenol

Alcohol is the most common organic compound and an abundant chemical produced in the industry. It can also be said that alcoholic organic compounds are characterized by the presence of either one, two, or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached to the carbon atom of an alkyl group or hydrocarbon chain.

Alcohol is an organic compound where the molecules consist of one or more groups of hydroxyl. Besides, these are attached to a carbon atom. Alcohol is usually categorized as primary, secondary, and tertiary types. Such classification is generally done depending on which carbon of the alkyl is bonded to the hydroxyl group.

Characteristics of Alcohol

A famous alcohol characteristic is that they undergo oxidation readily.

In view of categories, primary alcohols oxidize to form aldehydes, and again aldehydes oxidize for producing carboxylic acids. Secondary alcohols only can oxidize once, resulting in ketones. Finally, the tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized at all without breaking the carbon-carbon bonds.

Physical Properties of Alcohol

The presence of the hydroxyl group is the primary factor in determining the properties of Alcohol.

Few of the prominent physical properties include:

• Boiling Point

Compared to other hydrocarbons, alcohols generally have higher boiling points. This can be associated with the presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of alcohol molecules.

• Solubility of Alcohols

The hydroxyl group determines the solubility of alcohols. Hydroxyl group of Alcohol participates in the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. So that hydrogen bonds between Alcohol and water make it soluble in water.

• Acidity

Alcohols react with active metals like sodium and potassium and form the respective alkoxide. These reactions indicate their acidic nature, and this nature is due to the polarity of -OH bond. It is also said that the acidity of alcohol decreases when an electron-donating group is associated with the hydroxyl group.

What is Phenol?

Phenol is also a type of alcohol where the hydroxyl group is bound to an atomic ring. It is an exclusion to the rule that the hydroxyl group must be bounded to a saturated carbon. Phenol and its chemical derivatives are the primary ingredients for other compounds such as nylon, detergents, herbs, and pharmaceuticals.

Although phenols are more acidic compared to alcohols, we can say that phenols are considered as a subset of alcohol. And, it’s a fact that both alcohol and phenols contain a hydroxyl group. Phenols can also be named as carbolic acids. They also exhibit unique physical and chemical properties, mainly due to the presence of hydroxyl groups.

Physical Properties of Phenol

Let us discuss some of the physical properties of Phenol.

• The Boiling Point of Phenols

Phenols also have higher boiling points compared to other hydrocarbons with equal molecular weight. The reason behind this is because of the intermolecular hydrogen bonding presence between hydroxyl groups of phenol molecules.

• Solubility of Phenols

As the hydroxyl group determines the solubility of Phenol in water, and Phenol is completely responsible for the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. As a result, hydrogen bonds form between water and phenol molecules making Phenol soluble in water.

• Acidity

Phenols also react with the same active metals like potassium and sodium, resulting in the corresponding phenoxide. These reactions indicate phenols acidic in nature, the sp2 hybridized carbon of the benzene ring attached directly to the hydroxyl group acting as an electron-withdrawing group.

Now, we’ve learned many things about alcohol and phenol. Let’s look into the factors that differentiate these two chemical compounds.

Differences between Alcohol and Phenol

Difference between Alcohol and Phenol

The above text helped you to understand the meanings of alcohol and phenol. It also gave you an insight into a few other topics like the physical properties, characteristics, and the difference between both of them. 

Chemistry is a subject which includes lots and lots of learning work and for that, you need a lot of patience and also a calm and composed mind.

Some simple strategies which will help you get the best results are mentioned below. 

You should try these tricks and also include them in your schedule. 

• Highlight Key Concepts

This strategy may look useless to you at the moment that you are reading it but it can do wonders for you. It involves underlining the important points so that they can be of some help to you in future when it's time for your exams. 

Whenever you find some important details, you may highlight the key points or write them at the edge of the text. You can also use sticky notes and paste them along with the text. 

And when it is finally time to prepare for the tests, the first thing you shall be doing is to read those highlighted notes.

• Summarize Important Details

Another good way to get all the information set in your brain is to speak it all in your words again and again. It is like telling yourself the important points so that your mind registers them. 

A summary usually doesn't include every bit of information but make sure to add all the important details and present it in your words. 

Try using some different colours while writing the summary and it can be a very useful technique since it consists of a scientifically proven technique of visual learning. 

• Create your Flashcards

This is a fantastic technique to learn and remember the information and it also helps you to quiz yourself. Flashcards can be made like writing the important keyword on one side of the card and related points on either side. 

This is an efficient way to learn and remember things quickly and easily. You can also take some help with digital flashcards from which you can reinforce your knowledge over and over again. 

Also, since they are very handy and easily accessible, it is a great way to utilize every spare minute as you can just put them out of your bag and start revising. 

• Be the Teacher

It is a great strategy to understand the concepts best. When you teach someone any concept, you need to be clear about it. You can teach any friend, family member or any of your study group members. Reading it aloud will help you understand the concept better and give you clarity of all the concepts. And also your listener will be able to tell you about the gaps in your preparation. 

• Absorb Information in Smaller Chunks 

You can divide the learning parts into smaller groups and then try to remember them, it will help you memorize them easily and within no time. 

It should be done the same way we learn a phone number: we divide the number into smaller groups of 3 or 2 digits and then memorize it one by one. Similarly, you can get all your concepts stored in your brain quickly. 

• Prepare a Study Sheet

A study sheet is similar to flashcards, it is portable and handy and also very useful, whenever you get time, you just need to pull it out of your bag and don’t waste any time. 

A study sheet includes all the important points in a single sheet and also it should be done with different colors. As visual learning can help you memorize better, using colors can be a great way to learn and retain the concepts.