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.