Ethanol: Definition, Formulae, Properties & Uses

Ethanol, also referred to as ethyl alcohol, is a simple alcohol and is commonly found in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol or Ethyl alcohol is also described as EtOH. The formula for ethanol and its formation is simple and is mentioned below with an explanation.

• Ethanol is a byproduct of plant fermentation. Ethanol is naturally formed by the fermentation of sugar by yeast.
• It can also be produced by petrochemical procedures like the hydration of ethylene. Ethanol includes medical applications as a disinfectant and an antiseptic.
• It is helpful in the synthesis of organic compounds and as a chemical solvent as well as an alternative fuel source.

KeyTerms: Ethanol, Ethyl alcohol, Organic Compound, Alcohol, Ether, Ethylene, Gasoline, Solvent, Synthesis, Alkanes, Hydrogen, Carbon

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What is Ethanol?

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Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a chemical liquid and an organic compound with the formula - C₂H₅OH. It is used primarily as an additive to automotive gasoline, as a solvent, and in the synthesis of other organic chemicals.

Ethanol is a by-product of plant fermentation that is natural and can also be produced by the hydration of ethylene.

Structure of ethanol

To get an idea about the chemical structure of ethanol, it is essential to know what alkenes are. Alkanes are compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen with at least one double bond between the two carbons. Ethene is one such alkene. Ethene has double bonds, unlike ethane where there are single carbon bonds. Its chemical formula is CH₂CH₂.

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Formula of Ethanol

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The formula for ethanol or ethyl alcohol is CH₃CH₂OH or C₂H₅OH. Ethanol is a compound of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen elements. 

• It was described by Antoine Lavoisier and its chemical formula was invented in 1808 by Nicolas-Theodore de Saussure.
•  Five years later, Archibald Scott Couper issued the structural formula of ethanol.
• Ethyl alcohol consists of two carbon chains, i.e., ethane which has a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to it. 
• The proper ethyl alcohol (ethanol) chemical formula and structural formula are given below, but before formulae, it is important to know what a hydroxyl group is.

Hydroxyl Group

Hydroxyl is a functional group that has one oxygen and one hydrogen atom - bonded together. This group is represented as -OH. As there is a minus sign, it suggests that it is negatively charged.

Now, when attempting to name compounds containing this hydroxyl group, the suffix 'ol' is used. The 'ol' of ethanol or ethyl alcohol is for this reason.

From Ethene to Ethanol: Hydration of Ethene

To get ethanol from the ethene, water is to be added to the ethene in the presence of an acidic medium. The following reaction will appear:

CH₂=CH₂ + H₂O (In presence of an acidic medium or H⁺) → CH₃-CH₂-OH

Ethyl Alcohol- Chemical Formula

Ethanol has 5 hydrogen atoms, 2 carbon atoms, and an OH group. The chemical formula of ethanol is as follows:

• Ethanol is a volatile liquid, colorless, with a characteristic odor and a pungent taste. 
• It has a flashpoint of 55°F, is toxic when consumed in big quantities, and is categorized as a depressant drug.

The molecular formula describes the structure of ethanol molecules with two carbon atoms, one oxygen atom, and six hydrogen atoms per molecule but does not give us any structural information. Structural data is how the atoms are linked and how the molecule fills the space.

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Ethyl Alcohol Structural Formula

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The carbon atoms in the ethanol molecule are sp³ hybridized, meaning they have free rotation. It is the second simplest alcohol and is represented as follows:

Ethanol has various uses and the most common is in the pharmaceutical industry where it is used as an antiseptic. Besides that, ethyl alcohol is also used in the biotechnological and cosmetics industries.

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Natural Occurrence of Ethanol

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Ethanol is a byproduct of a yeast metabolic procedure. As such, ethanol exists in any yeast habitat and even in overripe fruits. Ethanol made by symbiotic yeast can be found in the flowers of the Bertam palm. It is also processed during the germination of multiple plants as an outcome of natural anaerobiosis. Ethanol is found in outer space, forming an icy mantle around dust grains in interstellar clouds. Small amounts of endogenous ethanol and acetaldehyde were detected in the breath of healthy volunteers.

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Properties of Ethanol

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Ethanol is forever a liquid at room temperature. Ethanol has a boiling point of 351K and a melting point of 156K. Ethanol is one of the most vibrant ingredients of all alcoholic beverages. It is also used in making various medicines like tonics, cough syrup, and tinctures of iodine as it is a very good solvent. Any quantity of ethanol is fully soluble in water.

Moreover, the consumption of even small amounts of pure ethanol is damaging. Long-term alcohol consumption can cause diseases and adverse health effects. Ethanol yields ethanoic acid when oxidized with monatomic oxygen. It is a flammable material. When burned in the presence of oxygen, it produces water, heat, carbon dioxide, and light.

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Solvent Properties

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Ethanol is a versatile solvent which suggests it is miscible with water.

• It is also miscible with many organic solvents, including acetic acid, benzene, acetone, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and diethyl ether—also, glycerol, ethylene glycol, pyridine, nitromethane, and toluene. 
• The main use of ethanol as a solvent is in the preparation of tinctures of iodine, cough syrup, etc. 
• Ethanol is also miscible with light aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as hexane and pentane, and with aliphatic chlorides like tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethane.

The miscibility of ethanol with water contrasts with the immiscibility of long-chain alcohols. A chain of five or more carbon atoms, whose water solubility drops rapidly with increasing carbon number. Mixtures with dodecane and higher alkanes show a gap of miscibility below a certain temperature. The temperature for dodecane is about 13^oC. The mismatch gap becomes wider and wider with higher alkanes. And the temperature for the whole miscibility rises with the gap.

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Uses of Ethanol

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Ethanol has wide applications. Some of them are as follows:

• In the medical field, alcohol is used in medicine in different formats as a disinfectant, antiseptic, and antidote. 
• Alcohol is useful for the skin and is applied to disinfect the skin before a needle stick and prior to the surgery. 
• Alcohol can be used to disinfect both a person's skin and the hands of healthcare providers.

Ethanol used in hand sanitizer

• It can also be used as a mouthwash and to clean other areas. 
• When fomepizole is not available, ethanol is in use to treat methanol or ethylene glycol toxicity.
• Ethanol is used as an antidote for ethylene methanol poisoning and glycol poisoning.
• In the beauty products and cosmetics industry, ethanol is a typical ingredient when it comes to lotions as preservatives for helping the skin. 
• Ethanol is used as a preservative in paints because it is an effective solvent and also in cleansing products to prevent the breakdown of organisms.
•  It is used as a color additive and is also used to impart an enhanced flavor. 
• It is used in gasoline to prevent engine knocking and maintain drivability.

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Reactions involved with Ethanol

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1. Reaction with sodium

When ethanol reacts with sodium it gives sodium ethoxide and hydrogen gas as end products.

2Na + 2CH₃CH₂OH→ 2CH₃CH₂O-Na⁺ + H₂

2. Acid-catalyzed dehydration of Ethanol

Alkene is obtained when ethanol is heated at 443K in presence of excess conc. sulphuric acid.

CH₃CH₂OH → Conc. H₂SO₄CH₂=CH₂ + H₂O

Water is dismissed in the above reaction by using a dehydrating agent which is sulphuric acid.

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Ethanol Intoxicates Human Beings

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Ethanol is an intoxicating agent. Some of the effects include:

• The liver cannot purify or filter it all at once when people drink ethanol.
•  Thus, ethanol flows to various body parts including the brain and more. 
• As ethanol reaches the brain, the compound blocks the gaps between neurons in the brain.
• People become slower as the neurons cannot perform properly after consuming ethanol.
• Their speeches become slurred and their bodies fail to maintain proper neuron function. 
• Moreover, the reward center of the brain gets triggered upon drinking alcohol, and dopamine releases. 
• This fools the brain into believing that ethanol is something good because it makes people energetic and happy, and people continue to drink ethanol.

Drinking ethanol can have many unwanted effects on the body. Apart from that, due to impairment in the proper functions of the body and brain, drinking ethanol causes accidents. A few moments of pleasure can give a lifetime of pain.

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Things to Remember

Here are some important points to remember that will summarize the entire article:

• Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a chemical liquid and an organic compound with the formula - C₂H₅OH.
• The formula for ethanol or ethyl alcohol is CH₃CH₂OH or C₂H₅OH. Ethanol is a compound of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen elements.
• Hydroxyl is a functional group that has one oxygen and one hydrogen atom - bonded together.
• Ethanol has 5 hydrogen atoms, 2 carbon atoms, and an OH group. Chemical Formula for Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol) is C₂H₅OH.
• The carbon atoms in the ethanol molecule are sp³ hybridized, meaning they have free rotation. The structural formula for Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol) is CH₃CH₂OH.
• Ethanol has a boiling point of 351K and a melting point of 156K. It is one of the most vibrant ingredients of all alcoholic beverages.
• Alcohol is useful for the skin and is applied to disinfect the skin before a needle stick and prior to the surgery.
• It is useful in the medical field for its anti-fungal and bactericidal effects as an antiseptic in medical wipes and normally in antibacterial hand sanitizer gels. 
• Ethanol kills microorganisms by denaturing their proteins and dissolving their membrane lipid bilayer.
• It is also sufficient against most bacteria and viruses and fungi. 

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