Ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, one of the alcohols that is most often found in alcoholic beverages. In common parlance, it is often referred to simply as alcohol. Its chemical formula is C₂H₅OH. A chemical compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ... In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-khwl الكحول, or al-ghawl الغول) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ... Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol. ... A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Carbon, C, 6 Chemical series Nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 2, p Density, Hardness 2267 kg/m3 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1 , s Density, Hardness 0. ... Hydroxide is a functional group consisting of oxygen and hydrogen: -O−H It has a charge of 1-. The term hydroxyl group is used when the functional group -OH is counted as a substituent of an organic compound. ...

This article is mostly about ethanol as a chemical compound. For beverages containing ethanol, see alcoholic beverage. For the use of ethanol as a fuel, see alcohol fuel. Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol. ... The use of alcohol as a fuel for internal combustion engines, either alone or in combination with other fuels, has been given much attention mostly because of its possible environmental and long-term economical advantages over fossil fuels. ...

History

Ethanol has been known to humans since prehistory as the active ingredient of alcoholic beverages. Its isolation as a relatively pure compound was probably achieved first by Persian alchemists who developed the art of distillation, such as Geber (721-815) and Al-Razi (864-930). Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol, popularly called alcohol. ... Iran (Persian: ایران) is a Middle Eastern country located in Southwest Asia. ... The Alchemist. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points. ... 15th century European portrait of Geber, Codici Ashburnhamiani 1166, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, in Latin Geber, was one of the most notable Islamic alchemists. ... Rhazes-Treating a Patient (artist unknown) Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi (born in Rayy, Iran, 864; died in Baghdad, Iraq, 930 AD) was a versatile Persian philosopher (hakim), who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine, chemistry (alchemy) and philosophy. ...

Production

94% denatured ethanol sold in a secure bottle for household use

Ethanol for use in alcoholic beverages is produced by fermentation: it is a product of sugar metabolism in certain species of yeast in the absence of oxygen. The process of culturing yeast under conditions to produce alcohol is referred to as brewing. Yeasts can grow in the presence of up to only about 14% alcohol, but the concentration of alcohol in the final product can be increased by distillation. Download high resolution version (480x640, 38 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 38 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In its strictest sense, fermentation (formerly called zymnosis) is the energy-yielding anaerobic metabolic breakdown of a nutrient molecule, such as glucose, without net oxidation. ... Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος(metavallo), the Greek word for change), in the most general sense, is the ingestion and breakdown of complex compounds, coupled with the liberation of energy, and the consequent generation of waste... Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a yeast used in both baking and brewing. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 2, p Density, Hardness 1. ... The Brewer, designed and engraved, in the Sixteenth. ... Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points. ...

For a mixture of ethanol and water, there is a maximum boiling azeotrope at 96% ethanol and 4% water. For this reason, fractional distillation of ethanol-water mixtures (of less than 96% ethanol) cannot yield ethanol purer than 96%. Therefore, 95% ethanol in water is a fairly common solvent. An azeotrope is a liquid mixture of two or more components which has a unique constant boiling point. ... Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture of compounds by their boiling point, by heating to high enough temperatures. ...

To produce absolute ethanol, a small amount of benzene is added, and the mixture is again fractionally distilled. Benzene forms a tertiary azeotrope with water and ethanol to remove the last of the water, and a binary azeotrope with ethanol removes most of the benzene. The resulting ethanol is water free, for processes that require it. However, several ppm of benzene remains, so consumption by humans leads to distinctive liver damage. Benzene, C6H6, PhH, or benzol is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... The abbreviation ppm can stand for: Parts per million, a measure of concentration Pages per minute, a measure of speed often used to market printers or photocopiers Private placement memorandum, a document typically created in conjunction with legal counsel that is used to raise venture capital the PPM compression algorithm... The liver is an organ in vertebrates including humans. ...

Ethanol for industrial use is often made from petroleum feedstocks, typically by the catalytic hydration of ethylene with sulfuric acid as catalyst. This process is cheaper than the production by fermentation. Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ... Ethylene or ethene is the simplest alkene hydrocarbon, consisting of two carbon atoms and four hydrogens. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... A catalyst (Greek: καταλύτης, catalytis) is a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction, at some temperature, but without itself being transformed or consumed by the reaction (see also catalysis). ...

Ethanol for industrial use is normally made unfit for human consumption ("denatured") by the inclusion of small amounts of substances that are either toxic (such as methanol) or unpleasant (such as denatonium), thus avoiding the applicable taxes or inventory controls. Denatured ethanol has the UN number UN 1987 and toxic denatured ethanol has UN 1986. For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid that is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol. ... Denatonium, usually available as denatonium benzoate (e. ... A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a state, or to functional equivalents of a state, including tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements. ... UN numbers or UN IDs are four-digit numbers that identify hazardous substances and products (such as explosives and poisonous materials) of commercial importance. ...

Use

Ethanol is used as a fuel (often mixed with gasoline) and in a wide variety of industrial processes. Ethanol is also used in antifreeze products for its low melting point. For the workstation, see SGI Fuel. ... Petrol (gasoline in the United States and Canada) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Antifreeze is a water-based liquid coolant used in gasoline and diesel engines. ...

It is easily soluble in water in all proportions with a slight overall decrease in volume when the two are mixed. Absolute ethanol and 95% ethanol are themselves good solvents, somewhat less polar than water and used in perfumes, paints and tinctures. Other proportions of ethanol with water or other solvents can also be used as a solvent. Alcoholic drinks have a large variety of tastes because various flavor compounds are dissolved during brewing. A substance is soluble in a fluid if it dissolves in the fluid. ... This article describes water from a scientific and technical perspective. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, a fixative, and alcohol used to give parts of the human body and sometimes other objects a long-lasting and pleasant smell. ... For information on the U.S. borough, see Paint, Pennsylvania. ... In medicine, a tincture is an alcoholic extract (e. ... The Brewer, designed and engraved, in the Sixteenth. ...

A solution of 70-85% of ethanol is commonly used as a disinfectant. It kills organisms by denaturing their proteins and dissolving their lipids and is effective against most bacteria and fungi, and many viruses, but is ineffective against bacterial spores. Because of this disinfectant property, alcoholic beverages can be stored for a long time. Disinfection The destruction of pathogenic and other kinds of microorganisms by physical or chemical means Disinfectants are chemical substances used to kill viruses and microbes (germs), such as bacteria and fungi. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Figure 1: Basic lipid structure. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus_Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Divisions Microsporidia Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungi (singular: fungus) are a major group of living things, originally considered plants but now treated as the separate kingdom Fungi. ... Three types of viruses: a bacterial virus, otherwise called a bacteriophage (left center); an animal virus (top right); and a retrovirus (bottom right). ... The term spore has several different meanings in biology. ...

The hydroxyl group on the ethanol molecule is an extremely weak acid, but upon treatment alkali metal or a very strong base, an H⁺ can be removed to form an ethoxide ion, C₂H₅O^-. Hydroxide is a functional group consisting of oxygen and hydrogen: -O−H It has a charge of 1-. The term hydroxyl group is used when the functional group -OH is counted as a substituent of an organic compound. ... In science, a molecule is the smallest particle of a pure chemical substance that still retains its chemical composition and properties. ... The alkali metals are a chemical series. ... In chemistry, a strong base is a compound with a very high pH value. ...

Hazards

• Ethanol and mixtures with water greater than about 50% ethanol are flammable and easily extinguished, although there are some solvents and organic compounds which are even more flammable.

• Although ethanol is not highly toxic, death from ethyl alcohol consumption is possible when blood alcohol level reaches 0.4%. A blood level of 0.5% or more is commonly fatal. Levels of even less than 0.1% can cause intoxication, with unconciousness often occurring at 0.3-0.4%. The legal limits for driving are about 0.08-0.10% in most states, with a trend toward lowering the limit in recent years. Methyl alcohol or methanol, on the other hand, is very toxic.

For other uses see fire (disambiguation). ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... An organic compound refers to any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon, with exception of carbides, carbonates and carbon oxides. ... For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ... This article or section should include material from drunkenness Intoxication is an impaired mental and physical state caused by ingesting alcoholic beverages or other psychoactive drugs. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid that is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid that is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol. ...

See also

• Energy directory compiles various energy technologies and issues featured at Wikipedia, with emphasis on clean, renewable energy systems.
• alcohol fuel
• alcoholic beverages
• biodiesel
• denatured alcohol
• methanol
• propyl alcohol

Directory of Energy Topics Covered at WikiPedia Focusing on Energy, in this case as an electrical, chemical or motive power, with emphasis on clean, renewable sources. ... The use of alcohol as a fuel for internal combustion engines, either alone or in combination with other fuels, has been given much attention mostly because of its possible environmental and long-term economical advantages over fossil fuels. ... Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol, popularly called alcohol. ... Bus running on soybean biodiesel. ... Denatured alcohol is ethanol with added adulterants that make it useless for consumption but still useful for industrial processes. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid that is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol. ... Propanol, sometimes known as 1-propyl alcohol, is a higher alcohol with a three carbon atoms and a general formula of C3H7OH of the form: H H H | | | H - C - C - C - OH | | | H H H Propanol boils at 97,1 C There is an another isomer of this compound...

External links

• Alcohol in Arabic sources (http://www.gabarin.com/ayh/alcohol.htm) (Geber but no mention of Al-Razi).