Question

What's the difference between an alcohol and alkanol? Some sources say they're the same thing, others say all alkanols are alcohols but not all alcohols are alkanols. Confirmation please?

Answer 1

Alcohol is a more broader sense of classification including alkanols, arenols, benzyl alcohols, allyl phenols, alkenols, phenols, etc. Alkanols as one classification are compounds of ttype R-OH, where R is any alkyl group such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, etc. Hence, alkanol is an alcohol but not all alcohols are alkanol.