A Manual of the Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds

70 THE CHEMISTRY OF
been known longest, and they moreover generally serve us startingpoints
for the preparation of other compounds. The alcohols ure
hydroxides or compounds of the alcohol radicals with the monad
group hjdvoxyl OH. Thus common alcohol C2IL.OH may be looked
upon as ethane in which one atom of hydrogeu has been exchanged
for OH, or may be considered as water iu which one atom of hydragen
has been substituted by the monad radical ethyl:—
H) M w . C2H6 \ ,. Ethyl Hydroxide or
HjO Water «H«}O Ethyl Alcohol.
The alcohols have therefore a constitution analogous to that of the
hydroxides of monad elements, such as potassium hydroxide KOH,
and as by acting with an acid on the latter we get a potassium salt
und water, so by treating an alcohol with an acid it yields a com/ponncl
or saline ether, the alcohol radical replacing the hydrogen of the
acid:—
C2H6.0H + HC1 = H8O + C2U5C1 Ethyl Chloride.
C2H5.OH + HNOS = HSO + C2H5.NO3 Ethyl Nitrate.
CaH6.0H + JJ j ,SO4 - H2O + Q *\ ISO4 Ethyl-sulphuric Acid.
la a great number of other Teactions the alcohols behave in a
manner quite analogous to water, as the chemical properties of their
radicals have much greater resemblance to those of hydrogen than, to
those of the metals. By acting with iodine and phosphorus upon
water we obtain phosphorous acid and hydriodic acid or hydrogen
iodide, whilst by the action of these elements on an alcohol the corresponding
iodide is formed :—
P + 31 + 3H,0 - l'O3H3 + HI
P + 31 + 3C2H5.OH = PO,H, + 3C2HBl
Phosphorus trichloride aud water yield phosphorous acid and
hydrochloric acid, and by the action of the trichloride on alcohol
ethyl phosphite is formed:—
PC13 + SH.0 « POSHS + 3HC1
PCI3 + 3C2H5.OH m ro^cyy, + SHCI
The alkaU-metals act violently npon the alcohols, hydrogen being
given off, and a mixed oxide or an alcohol, in which oue atom of
hydrogen has been replaced by the metal, beiug formed:—
By acting npon this compound with ethyl iodide the metal is
replaced by ethyl, and we obtain ethyl oxide or didhyl ether:—