The common name of an alcohol is derived from the common name of the alkyl group, with the word “alcohol” added. For example, CH₃OH is called methyl alcohol.
How is the common name of an alcohol determined, and what is an example given in the paragraph?
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The common name of an alcohol is often derived from the name of the alkyl or aryl group attached to the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group. The alkyl group’s name precedes the word “alcohol.” For example, in the case of CH3CH2OH, the common name is “ethyl alcohol” since it contains an ethyl group. An example could be the common name for CH3-O-CH2CH3, which is “ethyl methyl ether.” Here, the alkyl groups attached to the oxygen are ethyl and methyl, and the term “ether” indicates the presence of an oxygen atom linking the two alkyl groups.