Diol

A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups (-OH groups).

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Vicinal diols have hydroxyl groups bonded to atoms next to each other, i. e. bonded to each other. Examples of vicinal diol compounds are ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.

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Geminal diols have hydroxyl groups bonded to the same atom. When the atom is a carbon atom in an organic compound, the diol section of the molecule is unstable and has a tendency to dehydrate forming a carbonyl group. For example, carbonic acid (HO-CO-OH) is unstable and has a tendency to convert to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). Only when formaldehyde (H-CO-H) is dissolved in water is the chemical equilibrium in favor of the geminal diol version of the compound .

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Chemical compound: A chemical compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. For example, dihydrogen monoxide (water, ) is a compound composed of two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom....

Hydroxyl group: REDIRECT Hydroxyl...

Bonded: REDIRECT bond...