Alcohols typically undergo reactions such as nucleophilic substitution, elimination, oxidation, and esterification, each influenced by their structure. Primary alcohols readily participate in oxidation reactions to form aldehydes and carboxylic acids whereas secondary alcohols usually yield ketones. Tertiary alcohols are less prone to oxidation, but are more susceptible to nucleophilic substitution and elimination due to steric hindrance. The presence of the hydroxyl group (-OH) also allows alcohols to form alkoxides with strong bases, which are useful intermediates in various synthetic reactions.