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Winston Churchill once said, “I have taken more good from alcohol than alcohol has gotten out of me (Winston Churchill).” Man has used alcohol since the dawn of time. There are many different types of alcohol but the one that seems to be most known about is ethanol, which is used to make alcoholic beverages. Although alcohol is used in many ways, it is important to know about the production of alcohol, the structure and properties of alcohol, and the effects it has in the body. The reader will be able to understand what alcohol is in alcoholic beverages, the formation and properties of alcohol and the reader will have a deeper understanding of how the body is affected by the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol derives from the Arabic alhuhul, which denotes a fine powder of antimony, produced by distilling the element (Ethanol). Alcohol is a general term denoting a family of organic chemicals with common properties. These properties are characterized by one or more hydroxyl groups attached to a carbon atom, which is attached to three other atoms. Some of its members include: ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol, ect. Alcohol or ethanol is a clear, volatile liquid that burns easily. It is very soluble in water and has a small yet distinct odor (About Alcohol). Alcohol is among the more abundantly produced organic chemicals in the industry. Ethanol or grain alcohol can be manufactured by fermentation from carbohydrates found in fruits, molasses, grains, and other agricultural products. Ethanol is used in toiletries and pharmaceuticals. It is most commonly found in the alcohol in alcoholic beverages (Britannica.com). Alcohol is a clear liquid at room temperature. It is less dense, evaporating at a lower temperature than water. It is easily dissolved in water and is very flammable. Alcohol can be mad by four different methods: 1. Fermentation of fruit or grain mixtures 2. Distillation of fermented fruit or grain mixtures 3. Chemical modification of fossil fuel 4. Chemical combination of hydrogen with carbon monoxide (Alcohol’s Effects) Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, is the alcohol that people drink when they are out getting drunk. H H The molecular structure of ethyl alcohol is H-------C-------C------O-------H comprised of Carbon, Hydrogen, and H H Oxygen: C2H5OH The process of fermentation of sugars makes ethanol.
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