Inorganic alcohols

[Externet]

Hi.

As I know nothing in the subject, am asking if isopropyl is inorganic, and which other alcohols are produced from inorganic chemicals not derived from petroleum.

Thanks,

Miguel

[jdurg]

There is no such thing as an inorganic alcohol. Alcohols are hydrocarbon based molecules with a single -OH functional group. Isopropanol is an organic compound. It's formula is H3C-CH(-OH)-CH3. For a compound to be an 'inorganic alcohol', it would have to be a non hydrocarbon base chain with an OH group. Those are known as bases. (NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH)2, etc.)

[woelen]

For a compound to be an 'inorganic alcohol', it would have to be a non hydrocarbon base chain with an OH group. Those are known as bases. (NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH)2, etc.)

Not only bases, also a lot of acids, such as SO2(OH)2, PO(OH)3, HPO(OH)2 (sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and phosphorus acid).

 

As a rule of thumb, inorganic compounds of the form X(OH)n or XOm(OH)n are basic if X is in a low oxidation state (1, 2 and sometimes 3), amphoteric if X has an intermediate oxidation state (4, 3, sometimes 2) and acidic if X has a high oxidation state (>= 4).

 

There is also NH2OH, which is slightly basic, but not because of its OH group, but in a similar way as NH3 is basic, by accepting a proton, forming NH3OH(+).

[jowrose]

So sulfuric acid has the structure

 

H-O-O-S-O-O-H ?

[woelen]

No, sulfuric acid has structure O2S(OH)2, so all four oxygens directly bonded to the S. Two oxygens have a H atom attached. There is no H atom attached to the S.

 

The oxygens, bonded to the S, without the H on them, have a double bond, all other bonds are single.

[Ilja]

So sulfuric acid has the structure

 

H-O-O-S-O-O-H ?

 

 

just a clue there would be "peroxo" in the name if there are any O-O bondings.

[jowrose]

ah ok. I wondered what that meant. thanks.

[woelen]

ah ok. I wondered what that meant. thanks.

An example of such a peroxo acid is Caro's acid and peroxodisulfuruc acid:

 

Caro's acid: O2S(OH)(OOH), H2SO5

Peroxosulfuric acid: O2(OH)SOOSO2(OH), H2S2O8

[mississippichem]

The closest thing I can think of would be other Group IV -OH compounds. "Silanols" contain the moiety Si-OH, and are often found as functional groups on organic compounds. They actually make great precursors to silicones, that is, polymers with the [si-O-Si-O]... linkage. Germanols also exist but are highly labile and a very pH sensitive. Lead can form hydroxo complexes but some of them have fleeting stability as OH^- is a fairly hard base and Pb ions are fairly acids.