Alcoholic beverages ethyl alcohol

The most widely known aleohol is ethyl aleohol, simply beeause it is the aleohol in aleoholie drinks. It is also known as grain aleohol, or by its proper name, ethanol. Ethyl aleohol is a eolorless, volatile liquid with a eharaeteristie odor and a pungent taste. It has a flash point of 55°F, is classified as a depressant drug, and is toxic when ingested in large quantities. Its molecular formula is CjHjOH. In addition to its presence in alcoholic beverages, ethyl alcohol has many industrial and medical uses, such as a solvent in many manufacturing processes, as antifreeze, antiseptics, and cosmetics. 

Urethane [51-79-6] (ethyl carbamate) occurs as a natural by-product in fermented products such as wine, Hquors, yogurt, beer, bread, oHves, cheeses, and soy sauces. Whereas urethane has a known cancer etiology in experimental animals, no such relationship has yet been proven in humans (108,109). Alcohol may act by blocking the metaboHsm of urethane, and thus exert a protective effect in humans consuming alcohoHc beverages (110). 

Ethyl carbamate, C2HyN02, is developed naturally during the fermentation of alcohoHc beverages. It also appears in foods such as bread and yogurt. Since ethyl carbamate is not easily distilled, its formation most likely involves a distillable precursor. The mechanism of ethyl carbamate formation probably involves cyanate produced from the oxidation of cyanide or from urea-based compounds in the beer. Cyanate reacts with alcohol to form ethyl carbamate as follows ... 

Since the acetal exists in equiUbtium with the aldehyde, it is possible for the aldehyde to be released when water is added in a mixed drink, changing the balance and giving a burst of freshness to a mixed drink. Ethyl esters of terpene alcohols in citms oils and other botanicals, plus the ethyl esters of fatty and volatile acids, are formed during prolonged exposure to ethyl alcohol. Certain beverage alcohol products that need to contain milk, eggs, or other protein containing materials must be developed carefully and the added flavors must be considered to prevent the precipitation of the protein and separation of the product. 

Essential oils are obtained from fmits and flowers (61,62). Volatile esters of short- and medium-chain carboxyHc acids or aromatic carboxyHc acids with short- and medium-chain alcohols are primary constituents of essential oils, eg, ethyl acetate in wines, brandy, and in fmits such as pineapple ben2yl acetate in jasmine and gardenia methyl saHcylate in oils of wintergreen and sweet birch. Most of these naturally occurring esters in essential oils have pleasant odors, and either they or their synthetic counterparts are used in the confectionery, beverage, perfume, cosmetic, and soap industries (see Oils, essential). 

As a beverage ethanol had been prepared and used long ago by the Egyptian pharaohs (2,3). Some iadication of the antiquity of the knowledge of ethyl alcohol is the fact that Noah is beheved to have built a vineyard ia which he grew grapes that he fermented iato a type of alcohoHc beverage (4). 

The simplest alcohol is methanol, CH,OH, also called methyl alcohol in a less systematic system of naming. Methanol is also known as wood alcohol. Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is the principal constituent of intoxicating beverages. Other alcohols of importance are included in Table 21-5. Note that the systematic names of alcohols characteristically end in -ol. 

The convention for identifying the alcoholic content of beverages is proof So, 100 proof is 50% ethyl alcohol 86 proof scotch is 43% ethyl alcohol, and so on. Divide by two. So pure ethyl alcohol is 200 proof... 

Properties and handling. Ethyl alcohol is a colorless, flammable liquid (good for flam be ) having a characteristic odor nearly universally recognizable. It is soluble in water (and club soda) in all proportions. Its commercially available as 190 proof (the 95% ethyl alcohol-water azeotrope) and absolute (200 proof). It is frequently denatured to avoid the high tax associated with 190 and 200 proof grades. Methanol and/or sometimes formaldehyde are common denaturants used to prevent consumption as an alcoholic beverage. 

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) has central nervous system depressant properties and is widely used to relieve anxiety and produce sedation. Although some medical practitioners occasionally prescribe an alcoholic beverage for relieving minor anxiety and inducing sleep, individuals frequently self-medicate with ethanol. Many individuals who abuse alcohol may have started using it to relieve symptoms of central nervous system disorders, such as anxiety and depression. 

There is evidence that the Greeks, Egyptians, Hebrews, Japanese, Chinese, and Russians made alcoholic beverages thousands of years ago. Alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, and grain alcohol) is produced by yeast fermentation of sugar in fruits and grains to make wine, beer, or a variety of alcoholic spirits, including gin, vodka, and scotch. 

Consider ethane, the alkane with two carbon atoms and six attached hydrogen atoms. If one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by an OH group, the result is ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, the alcohol portion of alcoholic beverages. The OH is the alcohol group. The names of alcohols end in -ol. The structural formulas for ethane and ethyl alcohol are ... 

Alcohol, primarily in the form of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), has occupied an important place in the history of humankind for at least 8000 years. In Western society, beer and wine were a main staple of daily life until the 19th century. These relatively dilute alcoholic beverages were preferred over water, which was known to be associated with acute and chronic illness. They provided important calories and nutrients and served as a main source of daily liquid intake. As systems for improved sanitation and water purification were introduced in the 1800s, beer and wine became less important components of the human diet, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages, including distilled preparations with higher concentrations of alcohol, shifted toward their present-day role, in many societies, as a socially acceptable form of recreation. 

Ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol, absolute alcohol, or grain alcohol, is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid with a pleasant odor. It is associated primarily with alcoholic beverages, but it has numerous uses in the chemical industry. The word alcohol is derived from the Arabic word al kuhul, which was a fine powder of the element antimony used as a cosmetic. In Medieval times, the word al kuhul came to be associated with the distilled products known as alcohols. The hydroxyl group, -OH, bonded to a carbon, characterizes alcohols. Ethyl is derived from the root of the two-carbon hydrocarbon ethane. 

Ethyl alcohols most familiar use is in alcoholic beverages, but it has hundreds of industrial uses. It is widely used as an organic solvent in the production of numerous products including... 

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