Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a characteristic wine-like odor and pungent taste.
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39 Facts About Ethanol
2.
Ethanol is naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration.
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3.
Ethanol can be dehydrated to make ethylene, an important chemical feedstock.
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4.
Ethanol is the systematic name defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry for a compound consisting of an alkyl group with two carbon atoms, having a single bond between them and an attached functional group -OH group .
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5.
Ethanol coined the word from the German name Aether of the compound H-O-H .
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6.
Ethanol is used in medical wipes and most commonly in antibacterial hand sanitizer gels as an antiseptic for its bactericidal and anti-fungal effects.
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7.
Ethanol kills microorganisms by dissolving their membrane lipid bilayer and denaturing their proteins, and is effective against most bacteria, fungi and viruses.
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8.
Ethanol can be used as a disinfectant and antiseptic because it causes cell dehydration by disrupting the osmotic balance across the cell membrane, so water leaves the cell leading to cell death.
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9.
Ethanol serves this process by acting as a competitive inhibitor against methanol and ethylene glycol for alcohol dehydrogenase.
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10.
Ethanol has a much greater research octane number than gasoline, meaning it is less prone to pre-ignition, allowing for better ignition advance which means more torque, and efficiency in addition to the lower carbon emissions.
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11.
Ethanol was commonly used as fuel in early bipropellant rocket vehicles, in conjunction with an oxidizer such as liquid oxygen.
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12.
Ethanol is an attractive alternative due to its wide availability, low cost, high purity and low toxicity.
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13.
Ethanol is considered a universal solvent, as its molecular structure allows for the dissolving of both polar, hydrophilic and nonpolar, hydrophobic compounds.
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14.
Ethanol is found in paints, tinctures, markers, and personal care products such as mouthwashes, perfumes and deodorants.
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15.
Ethanol is sometimes abbreviated as EtOH, using the common organic chemistry notation of representing the ethyl group with Et.
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16.
Ethanol is a volatile, colorless liquid that has a slight odor.
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17.
Ethanol is slightly more refractive than water, having a refractive index of 1.
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18.
Ethanol is a versatile solvent, miscible with water and with many organic solvents, including acetic acid, acetone, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, diethyl ether, ethylene glycol, glycerol, nitromethane, pyridine, and toluene.
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19.
Ethanol is considered a flammable liquid in concentrations above 2.
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20.
Ethanol is a byproduct of the metabolic process of yeast.
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21.
Ethanol produced by symbiotic yeast can be found in bertam palm blossoms.
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22.
Ethanol is produced during the germination of many plants as a result of natural anaerobiosis.
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23.
Ethanol has been detected in outer space, forming an icy coating around dust grains in interstellar clouds.
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24.
Ethanol is produced both as a petrochemical, through the hydration of ethylene and, via biological processes, by fermenting sugars with yeast.
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25.
Ethanol has been produced in the laboratory by converting carbon dioxide via biological and electrochemical reactions.
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26.
Ethanol is classified as a primary alcohol, meaning that the carbon that its hydroxyl group attaches to has at least two hydrogen atoms attached to it as well.
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27.
Ethanol is a neutral molecule and the pH of a solution of ethanol in water is nearly 7.
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28.
Ethanol can be quantitatively converted to its conjugate base, the ethoxide ion, by reaction with an alkali metal such as sodium:.
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29.
Ethanol is not used industrially as a precursor to ethyl halides, but the reactions are illustrative.
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30.
Ethanol reacts with hydrogen halides to produce ethyl halides such as ethyl chloride and ethyl bromide via an SN2 reaction:.
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31.
Ethanol can be oxidized to acetaldehyde and further oxidized to acetic acid, depending on the reagents and conditions.
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32.
Ethanol is similar to macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in that it provides calories.
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33.
Ethanol has historically been identified variously as spirit of wine or ardent spirits, and as aqua vitae or aqua vita.
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34.
Ethanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient of alcoholic beverages.
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36.
Ethanol found that sulfuric acid could absorb large volumes of coal gas.
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37.
Ethanol was used as lamp fuel in the United States as early as 1840, but a tax levied on industrial alcohol during the Civil War made this use uneconomical.
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38.
Ethanol intended for industrial use is often produced from ethylene.
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39.
Ethanol has widespread use as a solvent of substances intended for human contact or consumption, including scents, flavorings, colorings, and medicines.
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