Given the following skeletal formula: $C-C-OH$ What type of alcohol is represented?

• A. Phenol
• B. Primary alcohol
• C. Tertiary alcohol
• D. Secondary alcohol

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the carbon atom to which the hydroxyl group (-OH) is attached in the skeletal formula. In this case, the -OH group is attached to a carbon atom that is connected to only one other carbon atom.
2. Recall the classification of alcohols based on the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group: primary (1°) if attached to one carbon, secondary (2°) if attached to two carbons, and tertiary (3°) if attached to three carbons.
3. Analyze the skeletal formula: the carbon with the -OH group is bonded to one other carbon and two hydrogens (implied in skeletal structures), indicating it is a primary carbon.
4. Confirm that the structure is not a phenol, which would have the -OH group directly attached to an aromatic ring, and this is not the case here.
5. Conclude that the alcohol represented by the given skeletal formula is a primary alcohol.