ethanol

Also known as EtOH, C2H5OH, hydroxyethane, 1-hydroxyethane, E1510, ethyl alcohol, anhydrol, ethyl alcohol anhydrous

Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the pseudoelement symbol for ethyl. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a pungent taste. As a psychoactive depressant, it is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, and the second most consumed drug globally behind caffeine.

OverviewAI-generated

Ethanol is a chemical compound with the formula C₂H₆O and a mass of 46.042. Its canonical SMILES notation is CCO. The substance has a density of 790 and a speed of sound of 1162. It exhibits a vapor pressure of 58 and an ionization energy of 10.47. The melting point is recorded as -173, -114, or -114.1, while the boiling point is 173. Its pKa is 16.

Ethanol has a flash point of 55 and flammable limits ranging from a lower limit of 3.3 to an upper limit of 19. It is classified under UN class 3 and packaging group II. The immediately dangerous to life or health level is 6237, and the time-weighted average exposure limit is 1900. Standard enthalpy of formation values are -277.6 and -234.8, with a standard molar entropy of 281.6. It has one hydrogen bond donor and one acceptor, with a charge of 0.

Literature references include 228,442 PubMed entries for ethanol. The subject is referenced by 6,329 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubChem, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula: C2H6O
Molecular weight: 46.07 g/mol
IUPAC name: ethanol
SMILES: CCO
InChIKey: LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: -0.1
Polar surface area: 20.2 Å²
H-bond donors: 1
H-bond acceptors: 1
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

228,442 papers

Ethanol and its metabolites: update on toxicity, benefits, and focus on immunomodulatory effects.ReviewDrug metabolism reviews · 2019Le Daré B, Lagente V, Gicquel TDOI: 10.1080/03602532.2019.1679169
Ethanol's impact on the brain: a neurobiological perspective on the mechanisms of memory impairment.ReviewMolecular biology reports · 2024Hedayati-Moghadam M, Razazpour F, Pourfridoni M et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09748-3
Ethanol-Induced Depression: Exploring the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms.ReviewCellular and molecular neurobiology · 2025Mashayekhi-Sardoo H, Razazpour F, Hakemi Z et al.DOI: 10.1007/s10571-025-01569-7
The evolutionary ecology of ethanol.ReviewTrends in ecology & evolution · 2025Bowland AC, Melin AD, Hosken DJ et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.005
Therapeutic Applications of Ethanol: A Review.ReviewJournal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences : a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques · 2019Le Daré B, Gicquel TDOI: 10.18433/jpps30572
Ethanol's molecular targets.ReviewScience signaling · 2008Harris RA, Trudell JR, Mihic SJDOI: 10.1126/scisignal.128re7
Alcohol and Cancer: Epidemiology and Biological Mechanisms.ReviewNutrients · 2021Rumgay H, Murphy N, Ferrari P et al.DOI: 10.3390/nu13093173
Ethanol tolerance and synaptic plasticity.ReviewTrends in pharmacological sciences · 1998Chandler LJ, Harris RA, Crews FTDOI: 10.1016/s0165-6147(98)01268-1

via PubMed

~41 min read

Encyclopedic overview

33 sections

Contents

Name
Uses
Recreational drug
Medical
Energy source
Other uses
Chemistry
Physical properties
Solvent properties
Azeotrope with water
Flammability
Natural occurrence
Production
Sources
Hydration
Fermentation
Testing
Purification
Grades of ethanol
Reactions
Ester formation
Dehydration
Combustion
Acid-base chemistry
Halogenation
Oxidation
Metabolism
Safety
History
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Ethanol is naturally produced by the fermentation process of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration. Historically it was used as a general anesthetic, and has modern medical applications as an antiseptic, disinfectant, solvent for some medications, and antidote for methanol poisoning and ethylene glycol poisoning. It is used as a chemical solvent and in the synthesis of organic compounds, and as a fuel source for lamps, stoves, and internal combustion engines. Ethanol also can be dehydrated to make ethylene, an important chemical feedstock. As of 2023, world production of ethanol fuel was , coming mostly from the U.S. (51%) and Brazil (26%).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “ethanol” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.