Ethanol

Not to be confused with Ethenol or Ethynol.

Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol or just alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound whose chemical formula is C₂H₅OH, also written as C₂H₆O. It is the active part of alcoholic drinks, which are drunk in most cultures worldwide. Ethanol is also used as a solvent because it can dissolve many other chemicals and is not very toxic. Yeast makes most of the ethanol that people use.

Ethanol

Full structural formula of ethanol Skeletal formula of ethanol
Ball-and-stick model of ethanol Space-filling model of ethanol
Names
Pronunciation	/ˈɛθənɒl/
Systematic IUPAC name ethanol[1]
Other names Absolute alcohol alcohol cologne spirit drinking alcohol ethylic alcohol EtOH ethyl alcohol ethyl hydrate ethyl hydroxide ethylol grain alcohol hydroxyethane methylcarbinol
Identifiers
CAS Number	64-17-5 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
3DMet	B01253
Beilstein Reference	1718733
ChEBI	CHEBI:16236 Y
ChEMBL	ChEMBL545 Y
ChemSpider	682 Y
DrugBank	DB00898 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.526
Gmelin Reference	787
IUPHAR/BPS	2299
PubChem CID	702
UNII	3K9958V90M Y
UN number	UN 1170
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID9020584
SMILES CCO
Properties
Chemical formula	C2H6O
Molar mass	46.07 g·mol−1
Appearance	Colorless liquid
Density	0.7893 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)[2]
Melting point	−114.14 ± 0.03[2] °C (−173.45 ± 0.05 °F; 159.01 ± 0.03 K)
Boiling point	78.24 ± 0.09[2] °C (172.83 ± 0.16 °F; 351.39 ± 0.09 K)
Solubility in water	miscible
log P	−0.18
Vapor pressure	5.95 kPa (at 20 °C)
Acidity (pKa)	15.9 (H2O), 29.8 (DMSO)[3][4]
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)	−33.60·10−6 cm3/mol
Refractive index (nD)	1.3611[2]
Viscosity	1.2 mPa·s (at 20 °C), 1.074 mPa·s (at 25 °C)[5]
Dipole moment	1.69 D[6]
Hazards
NFPA 704	3 2 0
Flash point	14 °C (Absolute)
U.S. Permissible exposure limit (PEL)	TWA 1000 ppm (1900 mg/m3) [7]
Related compounds
Related compounds	{{{value}}}
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

A bottle of Ethanol

Ethanol fuel

Ethanol fuel can be used instead of gasoline in cars and other engines. Engines can use pure ethanol or ethanol mixed with gasoline.

In Brazil, ethanol fuel made from sugar cane provides 18% of the fuel for cars. Therefore, the country does not have to buy petroleum from other countries.^[8]To do so, much of the rainforest has been cut down to grow more sugarcane, which is then fermented into ethanol.

Most cars in the United States can run on fuels that have of up to 10% ethanol in them. Carmakers like Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and GM also make vehicles specifically designed to run on higher ethanol blends. Some of their engines can run on up to 85% ethanol (E85). By mid-2006, there were about six million E85-compatible vehicles on the country's roads, which can run on fuel wth 85% ethanol.^[9]

Possible long term side effects in humans

References

1. "Ethanol – Compound Summary". The PubChem Project. USA: National Center for Biotechnology Information.
2. Haynes, William M., ed. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (92nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 3.246. ISBN 1439855110.
3. Ballinger P, Long FA (1960). "Acid Ionization Constants of Alcohols. II. Acidities of Some Substituted Methanols and Related Compounds1,2". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 82 (4): 795–798. doi:10.1021/ja01489a008.
4. Arnett EM, Venkatasubramaniam KG (1983). "Thermochemical acidities in three superbase systems". J. Org. Chem. 48 (10): 1569–1578. doi:10.1021/jo00158a001.
5. Lide DR, ed. (2012). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (92nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL.: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis. pp. 6–232. ISBN 9781439855126.
6. Lide DR, ed. (2008). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (89th ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 9–55. ISBN 9781420066791.
7. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0262". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
8. "America and Brazil Intersect on Ethanol". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
9. American energy: The renewable path to energy security

Other websites

• US E85 refueling map Archived 2007-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
• International Chemical Safety Card 0044
• Molview from bluerhinos.co.uk Archived 2008-09-25 at the Wayback Machine See Ethanol in 3D (may take over a minute to load using a dial-up connection)