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ethanol (C2H5OH)
Also known as ethyl alcohol, a colorless alcohol that is soluble in water. It is the active principle in intoxicating drinks, in which it is produced by the fermentation of sugar using yeast:
Ethanol is miscible with water with the evolution of heat and a contraction in volume; pure ethanol absorbs water vapor. Many gases are more soluble in it than they are in water. Some inorganic salts and many organic compounds are soluble in ethanol.
Ethanol is oxidized to ethanal or ethanoic acid; with nitric acid a variety of products, including glycolic and oxalic acids are formed. Ethanoates are formed by the action of sodium, calcium, aluminum, and some other metals on ethanol. It reacts with acids to give esters. With sulfuric acid it yields ether, ethene, or ethyl hydrogen sulfate. Bleaching powder converts it to chloroform, while chlorine gives chloral.
The main industrial use of ethanol is as a solvent although at one time it was a major starting point for making other chemicals. For this it was produced by fermentation of molasses. Now ethene has replaced ethanol as a raw material and industrial ethanol is made by hydrolysis of ethene.
| Density relative to water | 0.789 at 0 °C |
| Melting point | - 114.3 °C (158.8 K) |
| Boiling point | 78.4 °C (351.6 K) |
| Molar mass | 46.06844 g/mol |
Related category
• ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
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