Final answer:
An alcohol is an organic compound with a hydroxyl (OH) functional group on an aliphatic carbon atom. It is represented by the general formula ROH, where R is an alkyl group. Alcohols can be classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary based on the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbon atom with the OH group.
Step-by-step explanation:
An alcohol is an organic compound with a hydroxyl (OH) functional group on an aliphatic carbon atom. Alcohols are represented by the general formula ROH, where R is an alkyl group. The structure of alcohol can be depicted using structural formulas or line-angle formulas.
For example, the structural formula of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is CH3CH2OH, where the OH group is attached to the second carbon atom in the carbon chain.
Alcohols can be classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary based on the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbon atom with the OH group. A primary alcohol has one alkyl group, a secondary alcohol has two alkyl groups, and a tertiary alcohol has three alkyl groups.