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Amyl alcohol

Chemical compound family


Chemical compound family

Amyl alcohols are alcohols with the formula C5H11OH. Eight are known. A mixture of amyl alcohols (also called amyl alcohol) can be obtained from fusel alcohol. Amyl alcohol is used as a solvent and in esterification, by which is produced amyl acetate and other products. The name amyl alcohol without further specification applies to the normal (straight-chain) form, 1-pentanol.

:{| class="wikitable sortable"

+Amyl alcohol isomers
! Common name !! Structure !! Type !! IUPAC name !! Boiling point (°C)
-
1-pentanol
or normal amyl alcohol
[[Image:Pentan-1-ol-2D-skeletal.svg
primary
Pentan-1-ol
138.5
-
2-methyl-1-butanol
or active amyl alcohol
[[Image:2-Methyl-1-butanol.svg
primary
2-Methylbutan-1-ol
128.7
-
3-methyl-1-butanol
or isoamyl alcohol
or isopentyl alcohol
[[Image:Isoamyl alcohol.svg
primary
3-Methylbutan-1-ol
131.2
-
2,2-dimethyl-1-propanol
or neopentyl alcohol
[[Image:Neopentyl-alcohol-2D-skeletal.svg
primary
2,2-Dimethylpropan-1-ol
113.1
-
2-pentanol
or sec-amyl alcohol
or methyl (n) propyl carbinol
[[Image:Pentan-2-ol-2D-skeletal.svg
secondary
Pentan-2-ol
118.8
-
3-methyl-2-butanol
or sec-isoamyl alcohol
or methyl isopropyl carbinol
[[Image:3-methylbutan-2-ol-2D-skeletal.svg
secondary
3-Methylbutan-2-ol
113.6
-
3-Pentanol
[[Image:Pentan-3-ol-2D-skeletal.svg
secondary
Pentan-3-ol
115.3
-
2-methyl-2-butanol
or tert-amyl alcohol
[[Image:Tert-pentyl-alcohol-2D-skeletal.svg
tertiary
2-Methylbutan-2-ol
102
}

Three of these alcohols, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-pentanol, and 3-methyl-2-butanol (methyl isopropyl carbinol), contain stereocenters, and are therefore chiral and optically active.

The most important amyl alcohol is isoamyl alcohol, the chief one generated by fermentation in the production of alcoholic beverages and a constituent of fusel oil. The other amyl alcohols may be obtained synthetically.

References

References

  1. [[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary]] 11th Ed. 2004
  2. (2000). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry".
  3. Calculated boiling points from [[ChemSpider]].
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