Article
Article
Ethyl alcohol
Article By:
Phaff, Herman J. Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, California.
Last reviewed:April 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.243400
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Probably the best known of the alcohols, formula CH3CH2OH, it is also called alcohol, ethanol, grain alcohol, industrial alcohol, ethyl hydroxide, and methylcarbinol. Pure ethyl alcohol is a clear, colorless, and volatile liquid that is flammable and toxic and has a pungent taste. It boils at 78.4°C and melts at −112.3°C, has a specific gravity of 0.7851 at 20°C, and is soluble in water and most organic solvents. Ethyl alcohol is one of the most important industrial organic chemicals (see illustration). Ethyl alcohol is produced by chemical synthesis and by fermentation or biosynthetic processes. See also: Alcohol; Biosynthesis; Fermentation; Organic synthesis
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