What is Ethanol?

Ethanol is the second member of the homologous series of alcohol whose first member is methanol. Ethanol is also known as Ethyl alcohol which is the most prevalent and commonly used alcoholic beverage, therefore it is sometimes referred to simply as alcohol. 

Ethanol is produced at a large scale using the fermentation of carbohydrates (the method used for alcoholic beverages) and the hydration of ethylene. In the fermentation process, yeast is used to convert carbohydrates (sugarcane, beets, wheat, corn, etc.) to ethanol, and in the hydration of ethylene method, ethanol is produced by passing a mixture of ethylene and steam over an acidic catalyst t temperature and pressure.

Ethanol

Ethanol also called Ethyl Alcohol is a commercially important organic compound. It is the second member of the alcohol family and is used for a variety of purposes. It is sometimes also called Alcohol and it is used by humans for consumption. Ethanol is also represented as, EtOH. Ethanol is the IUPAC name of Ethyl Alcohol. Ethanol is also called Grain Alcohol. The general properties of Ethanol are added below,

Generic Name

Ethanol

Chemical Name

Ethyl Alcohol

Chemical Formula

C2H5OH

Weight

46 gram/mol

In this article, we will learn about, Ethanol, the chemical formula of Ethanol, its structure, its physical and chemical properties of Ethanol, and its uses of Ethanol in detail.

Table of Content

  • What is Ethanol?
  • Ethanol Molecular Formula
  • Ethanol Structure
  • Physical Properties of Ethanol
  • Chemical Properties of Ethanol
  • Ethanol Uses

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What is Ethanol?

Ethanol is the second member of the homologous series of alcohol whose first member is methanol. Ethanol is also known as Ethyl alcohol which is the most prevalent and commonly used alcoholic beverage, therefore it is sometimes referred to simply as alcohol....

Ethanol Chemical Formula

Ethanol contains two atoms of Carbon, one atom of Oxygen, and six atoms of Hydrogen, thus the chemical formula of Ethanol is C2H5OH, where -OH represents alcohol functional group. Thus,...

Ethanol Molecular Weight

Molecular weight of Carbon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen are 12, 16, and 1 respectively. Thus, molecular weight or atomic weight of ethanol is calculated using the sum of all the individual atoms of the compound, i.e....

Ethanol Structure

Ethanol is the second member of the alcohol family, and its structure is added in the image below,...

Physical Properties of Ethanol

Physical properties of Ethyl Alcohol are added below,...

Chemical Properties of Ethanol

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Ethanol Uses

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