Ethanol

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol) is a clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic, agreeable odor. In dilute aqueous solution, it has a somewhat sweet flavor, but in more concentrated solutions it has a burning taste.

Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, is an alcohol, a group of chemical compounds whose molecules contain a hydroxyl group, –OH, bonded to a carbon atom. The word alcohol derives from Arabic al-kuhul, which denotes a fine powder of antimony used as an eye makeup.

Alcohol originally referred to any fine powder, but medieval alchemists later applied the term to the refined products of distillation, and this led to the current usage.

Ethanol melts at C, boils at 78.5 C, and has a density of 0.789 g/mL at 20C. Its low freezing point has made it useful as the fluid in thermometers for temperatures below C, the freezing point of mercury, and for other low-temperature purposes, such as for antifreeze in automobile radiators.