Physical properties of alcohols

Most of the common alcohols are colourless liquids at room temperature. Methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol are free-flowing liquids with fruity odours. The higher alcohols—those containing 4 to 10 carbon atoms—are somewhat viscous, or oily, and they have heavier fruity odours. Some of the highly branched alcohols and many alcohols containing more than 12 carbon atoms are solids at room temperature.

The boiling points of alcohols are much higher than those of alkanes with similar molecular weights. For example, ethanol, with a molecular weight (MW) of 46, has a boiling point of 78 °C (173 °F), whereas propane (MW 44) has a boiling point of −42 °C (−44 °F). Such a large difference in boiling points indicates that molecules of ethanol are attracted to one another much more strongly than are propane molecules. Most of this difference results from the ability of ethanol and other alcohols to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds. (See chemical bonding: Intermolecular forces for a discussion of hydrogen bonding.)

The oxygen atom of the strongly polarized O―H bond of an alcohol pulls electron density away from the hydrogen atom. This polarized hydrogen, which bears a partial positive charge, can form a hydrogen bond with a pair of nonbonding electrons on another oxygen atom. Hydrogen bonds, with a strength of about 5 kilocalories (21 kilojoules) per mole, are much weaker than normal covalent bonds, with bond energies of about 70 to 110 kilocalories per mole. (The amount of energy per mole that is required to break a given bond is called its bond energy.)

Water and alcohols have similar properties because water molecules contain hydroxyl groups that can form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules and with alcohol molecules, and likewise alcohol molecules can form hydrogen bonds with other alcohol molecules as well as with water. Because alcohols form hydrogen bonds with water, they tend to be relatively soluble in water. The hydroxyl group is referred to as a hydrophilic (“water-loving”) group, because it forms hydrogen bonds with water and enhances the solubility of an alcohol in water. Methanol, ethanol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and t-butyl alcohol are all miscible with water. Alcohols with higher molecular weights tend to be less water-soluble, because the hydrocarbon part of the molecule, which is hydrophobic (“water-hating”), is larger with increased molecular weight. Because they are strongly polar, alcohols are better solvents than hydrocarbons for ionic compounds and other polar substances.