Reactions of Alcohols with Active Metals

The addition of a small piece of sodium to an alcohol will create an alkoxide and hydrogen gas. Evaporating the remaining amount of alcohol will result in a white, strongly alkaline salt. This is comparable to the reaction of water and sodium where sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is created, but the reaction of alcohols is a lot less explosive. Therefore it is important to ensure an anhydrous environment when working with sodium. Ethanol reacts with sodium to sodium ethoxide, a strongly alkaline salt.

CH₃CH₂OH + Na → CH₃CH₂ONa + H₂

in water: CH₃CH₂ONa → CH₃CH₂O^- + Na⁺

CH₃CH₂O^- + H₂O → CH₃CH₂OH + OH^-

Alkoxides can be used to create ethers together with alkylhalides. Alcohols can also be created from alkylhalides through a similar mechanism, by letting them react with hydroxide ions.

CH₃CH₂Br + OH^- → CH₃CH₂OH + Br^-

CH₃CH₂Br + CH₃CH₂O^- → CH₃CH₂-O-CH₂CH₃ + Br^-