Question

Classify each of the following as a carboxylic acid, ester, and/or alcohol. (a) \(\mathrm{HO}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{OH}\)

Short answer

The molecule \(\mathrm{HO}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{OH}\) contains two hydroxyl groups, which are characteristic of alcohols. Therefore, it is classified as an alcohol.

Step-by-step solution

Analyze the molecule and identify functional groups

The given molecule is \(\mathrm{HO}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{OH}\). We can see that there are two hydroxyl groups, one at each end of the molecule. There are no carboxyl groups present in the molecule.

Classify the molecule

Since there are no carboxyl groups or ester functional groups present, we can immediately rule out the possibility of the molecule being a carboxylic acid or an ester. The molecule contains two hydroxyl groups which is characteristic of alcohols, so we can classify the molecule as an alcohol.

Final Answer

The molecule \(\mathrm{HO}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{CH}_{2}-\mathrm{OH}\) is classified as an alcohol.