Ethanol structural. Ethanol: properties and applications

The active ingredient in all alcoholic drinks is ethyl alcohol. Aka ethanol, aka C 2 H 5 OH. All the troubles of alcohol abusers are associated with it. However, it would be completely wrong to call ethanol evil - it is a sought-after and necessary substance, however, non-food related.

There are many ways to use it for its intended purpose, although ingesting it is not one of them. So how to use ethanol correctly?

Fuel

Ethanol is an excellent and relatively inexpensive fuel. Cars drive on it and some rockets fly. True, it is usually used in a mixture with gasoline.

And high hygroscopicity (the ability to absorb moisture) allows motorists to get rid of low-quality gasoline. I added alcohol to the “reduced” gasoline and the car drove again.

This means that every time you drink a glass of wine, you ensure that you are consuming an analogue of gasoline or kerosene.

Raw materials

The chemical industry consumes a huge amount of ethanol. Many different substances are obtained from ethanol.

These include acetic acid (alcoholic vinegar), diethyl ether (narcosis), tetraethyl lead (a very toxic additive to fuel that increases its octane number), ethyl acetate (a poison for killing insects in entomological stains).

This means that each serving of vodka is similar to, say, a sip of oil - a natural raw material for the chemical industry.

Solvent

Ethanol is an excellent solvent. It is not without reason that it is used in perfumery as the basis of many colognes, perfumes and aerosols. It is also used as one of the main solvents in organic chemistry: many reactions are carried out in it to synthesize new substances.

Ethanol is also used to obtain some solutions that are used for medical purposes.

This means that every time you pour beer into a glass, you also use an analogue, for example, acetone.

Antiseptic

Medicine actively uses a variety of poisons in its arsenal. Ethanol - including. After all, bacteria die perfectly in ethyl alcohol. Therefore, before taking blood for analysis, the skin at the site of the future puncture is wiped with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol.

Bacteria on the skin die, the alcohol evaporates - and here it is, a sterile finger or elbow is ready for blood collection. Alcohol is still sometimes used by surgeons on their hands before surgery, especially in the field.

This means that every time you order a cocktail, you get something that works like a mixture of creosote and carbolic acid.

When should you drink?

There is one case when you need to drink ethanol for medical reasons. If a person drinks methyl alcohol, it is exposed to two enzymes in the body - alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. As a result, poisonous formaldehyde and formic acid are formed, which kill people. In this case, ethanol is the only antidote.

It binds to these enzymes better than methyl alcohol, and methyl alcohol leaves the body without causing much harm to it. In the face of poisoning, the negative effects of ethanol are less dangerous than the almost guaranteed death from methyl alcohol.

This means that ethyl alcohol acts as an emergency rescue remedy, and not as a habitually consumed product.

Things to remember

So, ethanol is a very necessary and useful substance for humanity. Cars can drive on it, it helps doctors and chemists make our lives better and safer. Just don't drink it.

Ethyl alcohol or wine alcohol is a widespread representative of alcohols. There are many known substances that contain oxygen, along with carbon and hydrogen. Among the oxygen-containing compounds, I am primarily interested in the class of alcohols.

Ethanol

Physical properties of alcohol . Ethyl alcohol C 2 H 6 O is a colorless liquid with a peculiar odor, lighter than water (specific gravity 0.8), boils at a temperature of 78 °.3, and dissolves well many inorganic and organic substances. Rectified alcohol contains 96% ethyl alcohol and 4% water.

The structure of the alcohol molecule .According to the valency of the elements, the formula C 2 H 6 O corresponds to two structures:

To resolve the question of which of the formulas actually corresponds to alcohol, let us turn to experience.

Place a piece of sodium in a test tube with alcohol. A reaction will immediately begin, accompanied by the release of gas. It is not difficult to establish that this gas is hydrogen.

Now let’s set up the experiment so that we can determine how many hydrogen atoms are released during the reaction from each alcohol molecule. To do this, add a certain amount of alcohol, for example 0.1 gram molecule (4.6 grams), drop by drop from a funnel to a flask with small pieces of sodium (Fig. 1). The hydrogen released from the alcohol displaces water from the two-necked flask into the measuring cylinder. The volume of displaced water in the cylinder corresponds to the volume of released hydrogen.

Fig.1. Quantitative experience in producing hydrogen from ethyl alcohol.

Since 0.1 gram of alcohol molecule was taken for the experiment, it is possible to obtain about 1.12 hydrogen (in terms of normal conditions) liters This means that sodium displaces 11.2 from a gram molecule of alcohol liters, i.e. half a gram molecule, in other words 1 gram hydrogen atom. Consequently, sodium displaces only one hydrogen atom from each alcohol molecule.

Obviously, in the alcohol molecule, this hydrogen atom is in a special position compared to the other five hydrogen atoms. Formula (1) does not explain this fact. According to it, all hydrogen atoms are equally bonded to carbon atoms and, as we know, are not displaced by metallic sodium (sodium is stored in a mixture of hydrocarbons - in kerosene). On the contrary, formula (2) reflects the presence of one atom located in a special position: it is connected to carbon through an oxygen atom. We can conclude that it is this hydrogen atom that is less tightly bound to the oxygen atom; it turns out to be more mobile and is replaced by sodium. Therefore, the structural formula of ethyl alcohol is:

Despite the greater mobility of the hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl group compared to other hydrogen atoms, ethyl alcohol is not an electrolyte and does not dissociate into ions in an aqueous solution.

To emphasize that the alcohol molecule contains a hydroxyl group - OH, connected to a hydrocarbon radical, the molecular formula of ethyl alcohol is written as follows:

Chemical properties of alcohol . We saw above that ethyl alcohol reacts with sodium. Knowing the structure of alcohol, we can express this reaction with the equation:

The product of replacing hydrogen in alcohol with sodium is called sodium ethoxide. It can be isolated after the reaction (by evaporation of excess alcohol) as a solid.

When ignited in air, alcohol burns with a bluish, barely noticeable flame, releasing a lot of heat:

If you heat ethyl alcohol with a hydrohalic acid, for example with HBr, in a flask with a refrigerator (or a mixture of NaBr and H 2 SO 4, which gives hydrogen bromide during the reaction), then an oily liquid will be distilled off - ethyl bromide C 2 H 5 Br:

This reaction confirms the presence of a hydroxyl group in the alcohol molecule.

When heated with concentrated sulfuric acid as a catalyst, the alcohol easily dehydrates, that is, it splits off water (the prefix “de” indicates the separation of something):

This reaction is used to produce ethylene in the laboratory. When alcohol is heated weaker with sulfuric acid (not higher than 140°), each molecule of water is split off from two molecules of alcohol, resulting in the formation of diethyl ether - a volatile, flammable liquid:

Diethyl ether (sometimes called sulfuric ether) is used as a solvent (tissue cleaning) and in medicine for anesthesia. He belongs to the class ethers - organic substances whose molecules consist of two hydrocarbon radicals connected through an oxygen atom: R - O - R1

Use of ethyl alcohol . Ethyl alcohol is of great practical importance. A lot of ethyl alcohol is consumed to produce synthetic rubber using the method of Academician S.V. Lebedev. By passing ethyl alcohol vapor through a special catalyst, divinyl is obtained:

which can then polymerize into rubber.

The alcohol is used to produce dyes, diethyl ether, various “fruit essences” and a number of other organic substances. Alcohol as a solvent is used to make perfumes and many medicines. Various varnishes are prepared by dissolving resins in alcohol. The high calorific value of alcohol determines its use as a fuel (motor fuel = ethanol).

Obtaining ethyl alcohol . World alcohol production is measured in millions of tons per year.

A common method for producing alcohol is the fermentation of sugary substances in the presence of yeast. These lower plant organisms (fungi) produce special substances - enzymes, which serve as biological catalysts for the fermentation reaction.

Cereal seeds or potato tubers rich in starch are taken as starting materials in the production of alcohol. Starch is first converted into sugar using malt containing the enzyme diastase, which is then fermented into alcohol.

Scientists have worked hard to replace food raw materials for alcohol production with cheaper non-food raw materials. These searches were crowned with success.

Recently, due to the fact that when cracking oil a lot of ethylene is formed, steel

The reaction of ethylene hydration (in the presence of sulfuric acid) was studied by A. M. Butlerov and V. Goryainov (1873), who also predicted its industrial significance. A method of direct ethylene hydration by passing it in a mixture with water vapor over solid catalysts has also been developed and introduced into industry. Producing alcohol from ethylene is very economical, since ethylene is part of the cracking gases of oil and other industrial gases and, therefore, is a widely available raw material.

Another method is based on the use of acetylene as the starting product. Acetylene undergoes hydration according to the Kucherov reaction, and the resulting acetaldehyde is catalytically reduced with hydrogen in the presence of nickel into ethyl alcohol. The entire process of acetylene hydration followed by reduction with hydrogen on a nickel catalyst into ethyl alcohol can be represented by a diagram.

Homologous series of alcohols

In addition to ethyl alcohol, other alcohols are known that are similar to it in structure and properties. All of them can be considered as derivatives of the corresponding saturated hydrocarbons, in the molecules of which one hydrogen atom is replaced by a hydroxyl group:

Table

Hydrocarbons	Alcohols	Boiling point of alcohols in º C
Methane CH 4	Methyl CH 3 OH	64,7
Ethane C 2 H 6	Ethyl C 2 H 5 OH orCH 3 - CH 2 - OH	78,3
Propane C 3 H 8	Propyl C 4 H 7 OH or CH 3 - CH 2 - CH 2 - OH	97,8
Butane C 4 H 10	Butyl C 4 H 9 OH orCH 3 - CH 2 - CH 2 - OH	117

Being similar in chemical properties and differing from each other in the composition of the molecules by a group of CH 2 atoms, these alcohols form a homologous series. Comparing the physical properties of alcohols, in this series, as well as in the series of hydrocarbons, we observe the transition of quantitative changes into qualitative changes. The general formula of alcohols in this series is R - OH (where R is a hydrocarbon radical).

Alcohols are known whose molecules contain several hydroxyl groups, for example:

Groups of atoms that determine the characteristic chemical properties of compounds, i.e., their chemical function, are called functional groups.

Alcohols are organic substances whose molecules contain one or more functional hydroxyl groups connected to a hydrocarbon radical .

In their composition, alcohols differ from hydrocarbons corresponding to them in the number of carbon atoms by the presence of oxygen (for example, C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 6 O or C 2 H 5 OH). Therefore, alcohols can be considered as products of partial oxidation of hydrocarbons.

Genetic relationship between hydrocarbons and alcohols

It is quite difficult to directly oxidize hydrocarbons into alcohol. In practice, it is easier to do this through a halogen derivative of a hydrocarbon. For example, to obtain ethyl alcohol starting from ethane C 2 H 6, you can first obtain ethyl bromide by the reaction:

and then convert ethyl bromide into alcohol by heating with water in the presence of alkali:

In this case, an alkali is needed to neutralize the resulting hydrogen bromide and eliminate the possibility of its reaction with alcohol, i.e. move this reversible reaction to the right.

In a similar way, methyl alcohol can be obtained according to the following scheme:

Thus, hydrocarbons, their halogen derivatives and alcohols are in a genetic connection with each other (relationship by origin).

13.12.2017 Doctor Evgenia Aleksandrovna Miroshnikova 0

Ethanol: properties and applications

Ethanol is a substance with a characteristic odor and taste. It was first obtained as a result of a fermentation reaction. For the latter, various products were used: cereals, vegetables, berries. Then people mastered distillation processes and ways to obtain a more concentrated alcohol solution. Ethanol (like its analogues) has become widespread due to its complex of properties. To avoid dangerous effects on the body, you should know the characteristics of the substance and the specifics of its use.

Ethanol (also called wine alcohol) is a monohydric alcohol, that is, it contains only one atom. Latin name - Aethanolum. Formula - C2H5OH. This alcohol is used in various industries: industry, cosmetology, dentistry, pharmaceuticals.

Ethanol has become the basis for the production of various alcoholic beverages. This was made possible due to the ability of its molecule to suppress the central nervous system. According to regulatory documents, rectified ethyl alcohol has GOST 5962-2013. It should be distinguished from the technical version of the liquid, which is used primarily for industrial purposes. The production and storage of alcoholic beverages is carried out under the control of government agencies.

The benefits and harms of the substance

Ethyl alcohol, when consumed in strictly limited dosages, is beneficial for the body. You can purchase it at a pharmacy only with a doctor's prescription. The price fluctuates depending on the volume of the container. The benefits of ethanol are manifested in:

• normalization of the functioning of the digestive tract;
• prevention of myocardial diseases;
• normalization of blood circulation;
• blood thinning;
• reduction of pain syndrome.

As a result of regular use of the substance, the body experiences oxygen starvation. Due to the rapid death of brain cells, memory deteriorates and sensitivity to pain decreases. The negative impact on internal organs is manifested in the development of various concomitant diseases. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to severe poisoning and coma.
Alcoholism is characterized by the development of both physical and mental dependence. In the absence of treatment and cessation of the use of alcohol-containing substances, personal degradation occurs and full-fledged social connections are disrupted.

Properties

Ethanol is a natural metabolite. This lies in its ability to be synthesized in the human body.

The group of properties of wine alcohol can be divided into three categories:

1. physical;
2. chemical;
3. fire hazardous.

Ethanol formula

The first category includes a description of appearance and other physical parameters. Under normal conditions, ethanol is volatile and differs from other substances in its unique aroma and pungent taste. The weight of one liter of liquid is 790 grams.

It dissolves various organic substances well. The boiling point is 78.39 °C. Ethanol has a lower density (as measured with a hydrometer) than water, making it lighter.

Ethyl alcohol is flammable and can ignite quickly. When burning, the flame is blue in color. Thanks to this chemical property, ethanol can be easily distinguished from methyl alcohol, which is poisonous to humans. The latter has a green flame when ignited.

In order to identify vodka made with methanol at home, you need to heat a copper wire and dip it into the vodka (one spoon is enough). The aroma of rotten apples is a sign of ethyl alcohol, the smell of formaldehyde indicates the presence of methanol.

Ethanol is a fire hazard because its ignition temperature is only 18°C. Therefore, when in contact with the substance, heating it should be avoided.

When ethanol is abused, it has harmful effects on the body. This is due to the mechanisms that are triggered by the intake of any alcohol. A mixture of water and alcohol provokes the release of the hormone endorphin.

This contributes to a sedative-hypnotic effect, that is, suppression of consciousness. The latter is expressed in the predominance of inhibition processes, which is manifested by such symptoms as reduced reaction, inhibition of movements and speech. An overdose of ethanol is characterized at the beginning by the appearance of excitation, which is then replaced by inhibition processes.

Brief history

Ethanol has been used since the Neolithic era. Proof of this are traces of alcoholic beverages found in China on ceramics that are about 9,000 years old. Ethanol was first produced in the 12th century in Salerno. It was a mixture of water and alcohol.

The pure product was obtained in 1796 by Johann Tobias Lowitz. The scientist used activated carbon for filtration. For many years, this method of producing alcohol was the only one.
Subsequently, the formula of ethanol was calculated by Nicolò-Theodore de Saussure. The substance was described as a carbon compound by Antoine Lavoisier. The 19th and 20th centuries are characterized as a period of careful study of ethanol, when its properties were described in detail. Thanks to the latter, it has become widely used in various sectors of human life.

What are the dangers of ethanol?

Ethanol is one of those substances, ignorance of the properties of which can lead to negative consequences. Therefore, before using it, you should familiarize yourself with the dangers of wine alcohol.

Is it possible to drink?

The use of alcohol in alcoholic beverages is permissible under one condition: drink rarely and in small doses. When abused, physical and mental dependence develops, that is, alcoholism.

Uncontrolled use of alcohol-containing drinks (when the ethanol concentration is 12 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight) causes severe intoxication of the body, which, in the absence of timely medical care may cause death.

You cannot drink ethanol in its pure form.

What diseases does it cause?

When consuming ethanol, the products of its breakdown in the body pose a great danger. One of them is acetaldehyde, which belongs to toxic and mutagenic substances. Carcinogenic properties cause the development of oncological pathologies.

Excessive consumption of ethyl alcohol is dangerous:

• memory impairment;
• death of brain cells;
• disruption of the functioning of the digestive tract (gastritis, duodenal ulcer);
• development of liver diseases (cirrhosis), kidneys;
• disruption of the functioning of the myocardium and blood vessels (stroke, heart attack);
• personal degradation;
• irreversible processes in the central nervous system.

Application

The wide range of characteristics of ethanol has ensured its use in various directions. The most popular of them are the following:

1. As a fuel for cars. The use of ethyl alcohol as a motor fuel is associated with the name of Henry Ford. In 1880, he created the first car that ran on ethanol. After this, the substance began to be used to operate rocket engines and various heating devices.
2. Chemical industry. Ethanol is used to produce other substances, such as ethylene. Being an excellent solvent, ethyl alcohol is used in the production of varnish, paints, and household chemicals.
3. Pharmacological industry. Ethanol is used in different ways in this area. The disinfecting properties of medical alcohol allow it to be used to treat the surgical field and the surgeon’s hands. It is used to reduce the manifestations of fever, as a basis for compresses and tinctures. Ethanol is an antidote that helps with methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning. It has found use as an antifoam when administering oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
4. Cosmetics industry. Manufacturers of cosmetics and perfumes include ethanol in various colognes, eau de toilette, aerosols, shampoos and other skin and body care products.
5. Food industry. Ethyl alcohol is used as the main component of alcoholic beverages. It is found in products that have been obtained through fermentation processes. It is used as a solvent for various flavorings and a preservative in the production of bread, buns, and confectionery. Ethyl alcohol is a food additive E1510.
6. Other directions. Wine alcohol is used when working with biological preparations.

Interaction with other substances

According to the instructions for use, ethanol, when used simultaneously, can enhance the effect of drugs that depress the central nervous system, circulatory processes, and the respiratory center.
Interactions with some substances are indicated in the table.

Ethanol, depending on its use, can be both beneficial and harmful. With regular consumption of alcohol containing ethyl alcohol, addiction occurs. Therefore, the use of strong drinks as antidepressants should not become a habit.

carbohydrates Beer was consumed in ancient Babylon, and the production of wine has been known since the fifth millennium BC. e. The possible production of free ethanol by distillation was first documented by Arab alchemists around the 10th century [ ].

Depending on the water content, production method and intended use, there are many different ethanol products. The most widely consumed mixture was 95.6 wt. % Ethanol and 4.4 wt. % Water, this ethyl alcohol content is the maximum possible during conventional fractional distillation, because this ratio forms an azeotropic mixture with a boiling point of 78.15 C.

In addition to food products, ethyl alcohol is consumed in large quantities as a fuel, solvent and as a raw material in various industrial processes. For industrial purposes, ethyl alcohol is often produced from oil and gas feedstocks by catalytic hydration of ethylene.

1. Physical properties and structure

Ethyl alcohol is a colorless liquid with a faint “alcoholic” odor. Its density is 0.789 g/cm3. Boiling point is 78.3 C. It can be mixed with water in any proportions. Ethyl alcohol is a good solvent for many organic as well as inorganic substances.

The molecular formula of ethyl alcohol is C 2 H 6 O, or C 2 H 5-OH. Structural formula:

2. Industrial methods of extraction

On an industrial scale, ethyl alcohol is produced in three ways: alcoholic fermentation of sugary substances, hydrolysis of cellulose and synthetically.

2.1. Fermentation of sugary substances

The method of fermenting sugary substances is the oldest. The starting material for this method are natural products rich in starch: potatoes, grains of wheat, rye, corn, etc., as well as cellulose.

To convert starch into sugary substances, it is first subjected to hydrolysis. For this purpose, mashed potatoes or flour are brewed with hot water to speed up the swelling of starch, and then malt is added, i.e. sprouted barley grains ground with water. Malt contains a special enzyme (an organic substance that plays the role of a catalyst), under the influence of which starch is purified (hydrolyzed), i.e. converting it into glucose. This process is summarized by the following equation:

• nC 6 H 10 O 5 + nH 2 O = nC 6 H 12 O 6

After the hydrolysis process is completed, yeast is added to the mixture, under the influence of which glucose undergoes fermentation, that is, turns into alcohol and carbon dioxide:

• C 6 H 12 O 6 = 2C 2 H 5-OH + 2CO 2

At the end of fermentation, the liquid is distilled and raw alcohol is obtained, containing about 90% ethyl alcohol and various by-products - propyl alcohol C 3 H 7-OH, isobutyl alcohol C 4 H 9-OH and isoamyl alcohol C 5 H 11-OH (the so-called fusel oils), which give the raw material an unpleasant odor and make it poisonous.

The raw alcohol is rectified (purified) by distillation on special distillation columns and rectified alcohol (purified) is obtained, which contains 96% ethyl alcohol and 4% water. At this ratio, alcohol and water form an inseparably boiling mixture (azeotrope). Therefore, 100% alcohol can be obtained by distillation. Anhydrous, or so-called absolute, alcohol is obtained only for special purposes by treating the alcohol with anhydrous copper sulfate CuSO 4, which absorbs the remaining water and turns into copper sulfate CuSO 4 5H 2 O, which is then separated. Currently, more modern methods are used. The simplest is drying over activated molecular sieves (3 or 4 Anstrom). The best is first treatment with metallic sodium (mainly water reacts with it to form NaOH and hydrogen), then rectification. Finally stored over molecular sieves.

2.2. Hydrolysis of cellulose

Potatoes and grain, on the processing of which the production of ethyl alcohol is based using the previous method, are quite valuable food products. Therefore, they are trying to replace them with non-food raw materials. In this regard, the method of producing alcohol from cellulose, which in its chemical composition is close to starch, has now found widespread use.

This method is based on the ability of cellulose (fiber) to undergo hydrolysis under the influence of acids to form glucose, which is then fermented into alcohol using yeast. For this purpose, wood waste (sawdust, shavings) is heated in autoclaves with 0.3-0.5% sulfuric acid under a pressure of 7-10 atm. Cellulose, like starch, hydrolyzes:

• (C 6 H 10 O 5) n + nH 2 O = nC 6 H 12 O 6

At the end of the process, the acid is neutralized with chalk:

• H 2 SO 4 + CaCO 3 = CaSO 4 ↓ + CO 2

The slightly soluble calcium sulfate is filtered off, and the solution is fermented by adding yeast. Then the solution is sent to distillation columns to distill off the alcohol.

The ethyl alcohol obtained in this way is called hydrolytic. It is used only for technical purposes, since it contains a number of harmful impurities, in particular methyl alcohol, acetone, etc.

From one ton of wood you can get up to 200 dm 3 of alcohol. This means that 1 ton of wood can replace 1 ton of potatoes or 300 kg of grain.

2.3. Extraction of synthetic alcohol

This method is based on the ability of ethylene, under certain conditions, to undergo a hydration reaction, i.e. addition of water to form ethyl alcohol. The process is carried out in a special contact apparatus under a pressure of more than 50 atm and a temperature of 280-300 C in the presence of phosphoric acid as a catalyst.

3. Laboratory methods for producing ethanol

There are also quite a few laboratory methods for producing ethanol.

3.1. Hydrolysis of halogenated hydrocarbons

Ethanol is formed by the hydrolysis of halogenated ethane. Since the reaction can proceed in both directions, it is carried out in the presence of alkalis or carbonates to shift the equilibrium to the right.

3.2. Ethylene hydration

The reaction is carried out similarly to the industrial method for producing synthetic ethanol.

3.3. Reduction of carbonyl compounds

Reduction of a carbonyl group into a hydroxyl group is a fairly common laboratory method for obtaining

Ethyl alcohol (“ethanol” according to the international chemical classification) is widely used in medicine, as a disinfectant, and also in some areas of industry as a solvent, fuel, and antifreeze component. In addition, ethanol is the main active component of alcoholic beverages.

Why is the structural formula of ethanol not precise enough?

The formula of any chemical substance must contain information about which atoms are contained in it. Ethyl alcohol consists of three elements: carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). Moreover, each ethanol molecule includes 2 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. Therefore, the empirical (simplest) of this chemical compound is thus: C2H6O. It would seem that this is quite enough.

However, using only one empirical formula will lead to error. The fact is that the exact same formula is C2H6O for another substance - dimethyl ether, which is in a gaseous state under normal conditions, and not in a liquid like ethanol. And, of course, the chemical properties of this substance also differ from the properties of ethyl alcohol.

Therefore, it is impossible to use only one empirical formula to describe ethyl alcohol.

What is the structural formula of ethanol

In such cases, more precise structural formulas come to the rescue, which contain information not only about the number and type of atoms of elements in the molecule, but also about their location and mutual connections. The structural formula of ethanol is: C2H5OH or even more precisely - CH3-CH2-OH. This formula indicates that the ethanol molecule consists of two main parts: the ethyl radical C2H5 and the hydroxyl radical (called hydroxyl group) OH.

Using the structural formula, one can draw a conclusion about the chemical properties of a substance due to the presence in its composition of a very active hydroxyl-, towards which, due to the oxygen atom, the second most electronegative element (after fluorine), the electron density of the molecule is shifted.

For comparison, the structural formula of the mentioned dimethyl ether is CH3-O-CH3. That is, it is a symmetrical molecule.

The formula C2H5OH is very simple and is usually very easy to remember; it reads as “Tse two ash five o ash.”