Final answer:
A compound with hydroxyl as its predominant functional group is polar and can engage in hydrogen bonding. It plays a key role in dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions, affecting its physical properties. The compound might be named as an alcohol, or part of a carboxylic acid depending on its structure and may have varying acidic or basic characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a compound contains hydroxyl as its predominant functional group, it is generally polar and can participate in hydrogen bonding. This influences the compound's physical properties, such as boiling point and solubility. The hydroxyl group is involved in dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions, important in many biological and chemical processes.
Compounds with hydroxyl groups include alcohols, where the general naming strategy is to find the longest carbon chain containing the hydroxyl group and replace the final -e of the alkane name with -ol, or if there is more than one, add a prefix di, tri, etc., before -ol. Carboxylic acids also contain a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom that additionally is double-bonded to an oxygen atom.
Depending on the electronegativity of the central atom bonded to the hydroxyl group, compounds can have acidic, basic, or amphoteric characteristics. For example, compounds like KOH and Ca(OH)2 are considered basic due to their metallic, lower electronegativity central atoms which form ionic bonds with the hydroxyl group.