An alcohol that has 2 hydroxyl groups includes which of the following in its name?
-ene
-diol
-triol
-ane
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is -diol.
Explanation:
Alcohols are organic compounds characterized by the presence of one or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups attached to a carbon atom. The nomenclature of alcohols follows a set of rules established by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
When naming alcohols, the suffix used depends on the number of hydroxyl groups present in the molecule. A basic alcohol with one hydroxyl group at the end of the carbon chain is named by adding the suffix -ol to the root name of the hydrocarbon chain.
If the alcohol contains two hydroxyl groups, the suffix -diol is used. The di- prefix indicates that there are two hydroxyl groups. A good example of this is ethylene glycol (also known as ethane-1,2-diol), which is a two-hydroxy alcohol.
For alcohols with three hydroxyl groups, the suffix -triol is used, such as in glycerol (propane-1,2,3-triol). This naming convention helps distinguish alcohols based on the number of hydroxyl groups they contain.
The suffix -ene is used to indicate the presence of a double bond in the molecule, which is unrelated to the number of hydroxyl groups. Similarly, -ane is used for alkanes, hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds, and is also not relevant to alcohols with hydroxyl groups.
Therefore, alcohols with two hydroxyl groups are always named with the -diol suffix, which accurately reflects their structure. This helps to ensure clarity in chemical nomenclature, making it easier to understand the molecular composition of organic compounds.