What is the pKa of methanol?

The pKa of methanol is 15.5. The pKa for water, which is called the pKw, ranges from 13 and 15 depending on the temperature. This means that methanol is even less likely to donate protons than water is to self-dissociate.

The molecular formula for methanol can be written as CH3OH. Another interesting pKa value that involves methanol is the pKa value for CH3OH2, which is -2.5. This stands for methanol in conditions when it has accepted a proton. Essentially, methanol only acts as a base in conditions with an extremely low pH. This low tendency toward acid-base interactions is one of the reasons why methanol is so commonly used as a solvent.