A primary alcohol is an alcohol in which the hydroxy group is bonded to a primary carbon atom. It can also be defined as a molecule containing a “–CHOH” group.
In contrast, a secondary alcohol has a formula “–CHROH” and a tertiary alcohol has a formula “–CROH”, where “R” indicates a carbon-containing group.
Examples of primary alcohols include ethanol and 1-butanol.
Methanol is also generally regarded as a primary alcohol, including by the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.