HALL - CARPENTER, CO.
By Edwin T. Scallon, Copyright © 1990, 1995, 2008 All Rights Reserved
ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION AND BAC CALCULATION PROGRAMS
CHEMISTRY OF ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a generic name of a large group of organic chemical compounds. They all are derivatives of hydrocarbons in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by hydroxyl (-OH) functional group. Hydrocarbons are compounds which contain hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) only. The hydroxyl group imparts particular properties to the radical to which it is attached.
Alcohols are named according to the radical to which the -OH group is attached. For example if the OH group is attached to the methyl radical CH3 so that the compound is CH3OH, then one has methyl alcohol..If it is attached to the ethyl (C2H5) radical then one has ethyl alcohol (CH3CH2OH) - the alcohol we consume in beverages. The general formula for alcohol is ROH, where R signifies a hydrocarbon radical attached to an -OH group.. A list of some of the common alcohols is given below:
- Methyl alcohol (methanol) CH3 OH
- Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) CH3 CH2 OH
- n - propyl alcohol CH3 CH2 CH2 OH
- Isopropyl alcohol (propanol-2) CH3 CH OH CH3
- n-butyl alcohol (butanol-1) CH3 (CH2)2 CH2 oh
- ethylene glycol CH2 OH CH2 OH
- glycerol CH2 OH CH OH CH2 OH
Ethyl alcohol - for which the more scientific name is ethanol - is the substance that we find in beverages.
Butyl alcohol or butanol is derived from butane which is commonly used in products such as adhesives and varnishes.
Methyl alcohol, also known as methanol or wood alcohol is used in the manufacture of formaldehyde and as industrial solvent. During Prohibition wood alcohol gained notoriety as a mixing agent with ethyl alcohol to make liquor. Several people became blind after drinking this toxic mixture, as methyl alcohol causes swelling of the optic nerve, an irreversible condition.
Isopropyl alcohol also know a rubbing alcohol, is a common household product. It is used as a disinfectant and as an ingredient in cologne and after shave. (Editor's note: It is the main and only ingredient in deicing sticks which shoots fluid into frozen door locks. So the $2.50 tube one buys at the parts store can be purchased for about $0.70 for a full pint of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol).
Ethylene glycol also known as antifreeze, is the most harmful type of alcohol. It should never be consumed as it is deadly.