JEE Main · 2026 · 24 Jan 2026 · Shift 2 · Alcohols Phenols and Ethers

A secondary alcohol has its $-OH$ on a carbon bonded to two other carbon atoms. Taking the six structures: (I) the N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) carbamic acid has only terminal $-C{H}_{2}OH$ (primary) groups; (II) butane-1,2-diol $C{H}_{3}C{H}_{2}CH(OH)C{H}_{2}OH$ has a secondary $-CH(OH)-$; (III) the methyl-cyclohexenyl diol carries only tertiary $-OH$ groups; (IV) the oxolane bearing a $-CH(OH)C{H}_{2}OH$ side chain has a secondary alcohol on that chain; (V) 3-methylpentane-2,3-diol has a secondary $-CH(OH)C{H}_3$ alongside its tertiary alcohol; (VI) the dimethyl diol has only tertiary and primary $-OH$. Secondary alcohols occur in II, IV and V, so three compounds contain at least one secondary alcohol.