Ethanol biological oxidation

According to the proposed mechanism for biological oxidation of ethanol, the hydrogen that is transferred to the coenzyme comes from C-1 of ethanol. Therefore, the dihydropyridine ring will bear no deuterium atoms when CD3CH2OH is oxidized, because all the deuterium atoms of the alcohol are attached to C-2. 

Biological oxidation of methanol and ethanol in the body produces the corresponding aldehyde followed by the acid. At times the alcoholics, by mistake, drink ethanol, mixed with methanol also called denatured alcohol. In the body, methanol is oxidised first to methanal and then to methanoic acid, which may cause blindness and death. A methanol poisoned patient is treated by giving intravenous infusions of diluted ethanol. The enz5mie responsible for oxidation of aldehyde (HCHO) to acid is swamped allowing time for kidneys to excrete methanol. 

In addition to enzymes, biological oxidations require substances known as coenzymes. Coenzymes are organic molecules that, in concert with an enzyme, act on a substrate to bring about chemical change. Most of the substances that we call vitamins are coenzymes. The coenzyme contains a functional group that is complementary to a functional group of the substrate the enzyme catalyzes the interaction of these mutually complementary functional groups. If ethanol is oxidized, some other substance must be reduced. This other substance is the oxidized form of the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Chemists and biochemists abbreviate the oxidized form of this... 

The NAD -NADH coenzyme system is involved in a large number of biological oxidation-reductions. Another reaction similar to the ethanol-acetaldehyde conversion is the oxidation of lactic acid to pyruvic acid by NAD and the enzyme lactic acid dehydrogenase ... 

Ethanediol. See Ethylene glycol Ethanoic acid. See Acetic acid Ethanol, 128, 130, 580-581 acidity of, 135, 740-741 and benzaldehyde, acetal from, 669 biological oxidation of, 600—602 chemical shifts, 606 conversion to diethyl ether, 592 dehydration of, 182 dipole moment of, 130, 863 by fermentation, 580-581 hydrogen bonding in, 130-131 industrial preparation of, 223, 581 physical properties of, 130, 132-133, 580 reduction of aryl diazonium salts by, 894, 907... 

Many biological processes involve oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds or the reverse process reduction of carbonyl compounds to alcohols Ethanol for example is metabolized m the liver to acetaldehyde Such processes are catalyzed by enzymes the enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of ethanol is called alcohol dehydrogenase... 

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