Primary alcohol
A primary alcohol is an alcohol which has the hydroxyl group connected to a primary carbon atom. It can also be defined as a molecule containing a “–CH2OH” group.
In contrast, a secondary alcohol has a formula “–CHROH” and a tertiary alcohol has a formula “–CR2OH”, where “R” indicates a carbon-containing group.
Examples of primary alcohols include ethanol and butanol.
Some sources include methanol as a primary alcohol, including the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, but this interpretation is less common in modern texts.
See also
Alcohol (especially Nomenclature section for discussion on Secondary and Tertiary alcohols.)
Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids
References