Interactive Functional Group Explorer
Explore organic structures, IUPAC naming, properties, reactions, and real-world examples.
Oxygen-containingIUPAC Rank #7Suffix:
-olAlcohol
R—OHLewis Structural FormulaOxygen-containing
R — Ö — H
Hybridization
sp³ (Oxygen & bonded Carbon)
Bond Angle
~108.5° (C—O—H angle compressed from 109.5° by 2 lone pairs)
Geometry
Bent at oxygen atom; tetrahedral at saturated α-carbon
Electronic & Steric Features
Hydroxyl Dipole
Strong permanent dipole: oxygen has high electronegativity (3.44) pulling electron density from hydrogen (2.20) to yield δ- on O and δ+ on H.
2 Non-bonding Lone Pairs
Oxygen possesses two lone electron pairs that act as Lewis basic sites and strong H-bond acceptors.
Steric Classification
Can be primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°) depending on how many alkyl groups connect to the carbinol carbon (C—OH).
Alcohol 3D Series
Compare representative molecules in this functional-group family.
3D
Ethanol (1° alcohol)
C₂H₅OH
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C
O
N
H
S
Spatial Conformation Insight3D geometry determines reactivity. Notice how the stereochemical orientation of lone pairs and electronegative heteroatoms (O, N) directs nucleophilic or electrophilic attack along characteristic Bürgi-Dunitz trajectories or SN2 backside trajectories.