Ethanol also can be dehydrated to make ethylene, an important chemical feedstock. It is used as a chemical solvent and in the synthesis of organic compounds, and as a fuel source. Historically it was used as a general anesthetic, and has modern medical applications as an antiseptic, disinfectant, solvent for some medications, and antidote for methanol poisoning and ethylene glycol poisoning. It is a psychoactive recreational drug, and the active ingredient in alcoholic drinks.Įthanol is naturally produced by the fermentation process of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a characteristic wine-like odor and pungent taste.
It is an alcohol, with its formula also written as C 2H 5OH, C 2H 6O or EtOH, where Et stands for ethyl.
Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH 3CH 2OH.
