10 1 Structure and Classification of Alcohols Chemistry LibreTexts

alcohol vs ethanol

The researchers found that isopropyl alcohol and n-propanol caused significant damage to skin condition and function, but ethyl alcohol didn’t. See how the primary alcohols (1-butanol and 2-methyl-1-propanol)  have higher boiling points than the secondary alcohol (2-butanol)  which has a higher boiling point than the tertiary alcohol (t-butanol). Replacing a CH3 on propanol with an OH group gives us “ethylene glycol”, a “di-ol” (actually called a “vicinal diol” since the alcohols are on adjacent carbons).

thoughts on “Alcohols – Nomenclature and Properties”

This reaction, which is conducted on large scale industrially, requires the removal of the water from the reaction mixture as it is formed. Esters react in the presence of an acid or base to give back the alcohol and a salt. This reaction is known as saponification because it is used in the preparation of soap. Diethyl sulfate and triethyl phosphate are prepared by treating ethanol with sulfur trioxide and phosphorus pentoxide respectively. Diethyl sulfate is a useful ethylating agent in organic synthesis.

alcohol vs ethanol

Ingesting hand sanitizers can lead to death

The bottom line is that all ethanol is alcohol, but not all alcohols are ethanol. This means that oxygen will be more “electron rich” (more negative) and hydrogen more “electron poor” (more positive) than they would be in a bond where electrons were shared perfectly equally. We say that electron density in the O-H bond is strongly “polarized” toward oxygen. Another way of saying the same thing is that the O-H bond has a strong “dipole”. The deeper nomenclature of alcohols is not something I’m going to discuss on this blog at the present.

The chemical formula for ethane is CH3CH3 (also written C2H6); each carbon atom is bound to three hydrogens and to the other carbon atoms. Alcohols are organic molecules containing the “hydroxyl” functional group, “OH” directly bonded to carbon. The carbon directly attached to OH is technically called the “carbinol” carbon, although this nomenclature is often not introduced in introductory classes.

1 Structure and Classification of Alcohols

Ethyl alcohol and ethanol are two terms used to name the same chemical compound. The only difference between ethyl alcohol and ethanol is that ethyl alcohol is the common name given for the compound C2H5OH whereas ethanol is the IUPAC name given for the ethyl alcohol. Ethanol has a number of applications in the industrial scale and in the laboratory scale. Ethyl alcohol can be produced by chemical methods as well as by biological methods. For industrial needs, ethylene hydration is the most common method of ethyl alcohol production. Biological method of ethyl alcohol production is fermentation.

  1. The bottom line is that all ethanol is alcohol, but not all alcohols are ethanol.
  2. Hand sanitizers containing isopropyl, or ethyl alcohol aren’t dangerous for children or babies when used correctly.
  3. Membrane-based separations are not subject to the limitations of the water-ethanol azeotrope because the separations are not based on vapor-liquid equilibria.
  4. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ethyl is generally considered superior to isopropyl alcohol, but both types of alcohol are effective at killing flu and cold viruses.
  5. Another way of saying the same thing is that the O-H bond has a strong “dipole”.

Although it is possible to distill spirits to 95%, most drinks are about 40% ABV. Pure ethanol is a colourless flammable liquid (boiling point 78.5 °C 173.3 °F) with an agreeable ethereal odour and a burning taste. It is an addictive drug for some persons, leading to the disease alcoholism. Fermentation is the process of culturing yeast under favorable thermal conditions to produce alcohol.

The term “alcohol” encompasses a variety of compounds with different structures, such as methanol, propanol, and butanol. Ethanol, a simple alcohol with the chemical formula C2H5OH, is a versatile compound with significant importance in both industrial and everyday applications. Its chemistry encompasses various aspects, from its molecular structure to its reactivity and uses. Today, upward of 98 percent of gasoline sold in the U.S. contains some amount of ethanol. The most common ratio is 90 percent gasoline (another hydrocarbon, if you’re keeping score) to 10 percent ethanol. Some vehicles have more flexibility in terms of their engines’ fuel-combustion properties, and these can operate using fuels that consist of over 50 percent ethanol and in some cases more than 80 percent.

Weaker concentrations are noticeably less effective because less alcohol comes into contact with germs. Isopropyl alcohol isn’t as effective against a class of viruses called nonenveloped viruses but is effective at killing enveloped viruses. Hydration is also used industrially to produce the diol ethylene glycol from ethylene oxide.

As such it is an isomer of propanol, and goes by the name isopropyl alcohol. Most so-called “rubbing alcohol” for antiseptic use contains tharros house isopropyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol got the name “ethanol” in 1892 as a combination of the word “ethane”—the name of the carbon chain—and the “-ol” ending for an alcohol. The common names for methyl alcohol—methanol—and isopropyl alcohol—isopropanol—follow the same rules.

When the malted grain is mashed, the amylase converts the remaining starches into sugars. Ethanol-water mixtures have less volume than the sum of their individual components at the given fractions. Mixing equal volumes of ethanol and water results in only 1.92 volumes of mixture.7681 Mixing ethanol and water is exothermic, with up to 777 J/mol82 being released at 298 K.

The family also includes such familiar substances as cholesterol and the carbohydrates. Methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (CH3CH2OH) are the first two members of the homologous series of alcohols. Aside from ethanol, two other types of alcohol commonly seen are methyl alcohol (methanol) and isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol). Like other types of alcohol, it readily absorbs through skin. But, methanol is dangerously toxic and can cause nervous system and organ damage. Isopropyl alcohol is used as rubbing alcohol and occurs in some hand sanitizer products.

10 1 Structure and Classification of Alcohols Chemistry LibreTexts
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