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    Chemistry A-Level

    Distinguishing alcohols from carboxylic acids

    What Distinguishing alcohols from carboxylic acids means in Chemistry A-Level, as defined for OCR.

    Definition of Distinguishing alcohols from carboxylic acids

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    A broad absorption around 3200–3600 cm⁻¹ indicates an alcohol O–H bond, whereas a very broad absorption around 2500–3300 cm⁻¹ indicates the O–H of a carboxylic acid, often with a C=O near 1680–1750 cm⁻¹.
    OCR · Analytical techniques

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