Chemistry problem. Is alcohol soluble in water?

Question

Chemistry problem. Is alcohol soluble in water?

Answer 1

The first four alcohols (methanol, ethanol and propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol) are miscible with water in all proportions ... after that solubility falls quickly and most pentanols and beyond would be considered immiscible with water.

(P.S. re previous answer ... alcohols do not contain -OH ions: they are covalent compounds)

Answer 2

First, any compound with a hydroxyl ion (OH) bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group is considered an alcohol by definition so there are many different forms of alcohol and some are soluble and some are not.

Ethanol which is what is contained in alcoholic beverages is soluble in any proportion with water.

Answer 3

You mean "ethanol", the alcohol in drinks? It's very soluble (miscible) in water. Organic substances tend to be insoluble in water, but the -OH group makes a substance soluble in water. Ethanol, C2H5OH, is a relatively small molecule, so the -OH group's effect prevails. The same occurs in methanol and propanols. In butanol (four carbons in molecule) and higher alcohols,  the OH group's solubility-inducing effect is rapidly overcome by the sheer size of the organic molecule.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 4

I'm assuming that your "alcohol" is ethanol.

There are many alcohols, and they all share a R-C-OH structure.  The hydrogen bonding of the low molecular weight alcohols (methanol to butanol) should combine with water nicely.  With more carbon atoms, the nonpolar nature of an alkane would make the alcohols more and more insoluble in water.

That said, the term that describes the ability of alcohol to combine with water is "miscibility".  We say that ethanol is miscible with water, meaning that any amount of alcohol will mix with a quantity of water.

From this standpoint ethanol is infinitely soluble in water.

Answer 5

I don't know if soluble is the right term. Alcohol doesn't dissolve like salt and sugar crystals, but it mixes with the water and thus changes its chemical properties.  Example: Pure water has a clearly defined freezing point, but when mixed with alcohol the new solution won't freeze until it gets much colder.

Answer 6

         aliphatic alcohols mostly soluble in water easily because it forms H-bond with water . but inthe case of aromatic alcohols may not be soluble in water. H-bond is due to the presence of OH- group in alcohol.[aliphatic]