Acidic & Basic Behaviour of Alcohols

Alcohol behave both as acids and bases.

Acids

They are weakly acidic. A strong base such as a hydride ion (H^–) in sodium hydride (NaH), can remove the proton from the alcohol molecule and an alkoxide ion results.

Bases

Alcohols can behave as weak bases also. They have lone pair of electrons on oxygen atom and hence they can be protonated by strong acids to give oxonium ions.