Final answer:
Alcohols, such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol, have a hydroxyl group attached to a carbon atom. They have distinct structural formulas that indicate their molecular composition, with methyl and ethyl alcohols being the simplest forms.
Step-by-step explanation:
An alcohol is an organic compound featuring a hydroxyl (OH) group attached to an aliphatic carbon. The simplest alcohols are methyl alcohol (methanol, CH3OH) and ethyl alcohol (ethanol, CH3CH2OH). When naming alcohols according to IUPAC guidelines, the name of the parent hydrocarbon is altered by dropping the final -e and adding an -ol suffix. For example, CH3OH is methanol, and CH3CH2OH is ethanol. In the case of branched alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol, we also include numbers to indicate the position of the hydroxyl group; thus, CH3CHOHCH3 is named 2-propanol.
The structural formulas of these alcohols reflect their composition and the arrangement of atoms. In the formulas provided, CH3CH2OH represents ethanol with an ethyl group joined to a hydroxyl group; CH3OH represents methanol with a methyl group attached to the hydroxyl group; and CH3CHOHCH3 represents isopropyl alcohol where the hydroxyl group is attached to the middle carbon of a three-carbon chain, hence 'isopropyl'. These structural formulas are key for understanding their chemical properties and potential uses in various applications.