What Is the OH Functional Group Called

Its important to know the names of the organic functional groups since they appear again and again in structures. Heres a look at what the OH functional group is called. Question: What Is the OH Functional Group Called? Answer: The -OH functional group is the hydroxyl group. OH is an alcohol consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen atom. When this functional group appears in a molecule, the prefix used is hydroxy. Hydroxyl and Hydroxy Group Properties One of the key properties of the OH group is that is is readily deprotonated. This occurs because hydrogen and oxygen have different electronegativity values. Group that contain this functional group tend to have higher melting and boiling points than compounds that lack the group. This is due to hydrogen bonding between molecules. The presence of the group also aids solubility of organic compounds in water.