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Preparation

There are many methods for alcohol synthesis:

Animation of the SN2 mechanism

Nucleophilic Substitution

 Reduction of a carbonyl compound with sodium borohydride: the hydride attacks the carbonyl carbon and the oxygen is protonated; in the background, a reaction in the lab

Reduction

 Addition of organometallics to carbonyl compounds: formaldehyde gives primary alcohols, aldehydes secondary ones and ketones tertiary ones

Addition of Organometallic Reagents

 Hydroboration-oxidation of 1-butene: with BH₃ and then H₂O₂/HO⁻ 1-butanol, the anti-Markovnikov alcohol, is obtained

Hydroboration of Alkenes

 Mechanism of the acid hydration of methylpropene: slow protonation of the alkene to give the tert-butyl carbocation, fast attack of water and deprotonation to tert-butanol

Addition of Water to Alkenes

The latter two methods are studied in detail in the alkenes chapter.