Ok i need help
are alcohol and ethanol the same thing?
if i am correct
ethanol is a simpler form of alcohol
or mabe its just called ethanol when its purer, like 95/100%????
say i am right
then could you substitute a good vodka for ethanol?
or mabe something like rubbing alcohol?
if I were using vodka for my..... experiment
would it still have a carbon structure capable of bonding like pure ethanol would?
2007-01-11 16:51:26 · 9 answers · asked by Lawrz 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
NO. alcohol and ethanol are not the same thing.
Alcohol is a general classification of organic molecules. Alcohol groups are carbon bonded to oxygen which in turn is bonded to hydrogen. R- COH. where R is anything you want it to be. Ethanol is a specific alcohol.
Ethanol is CH3-H2COH.
Methanol is H3COH
Propanol is CH3CH2H2COH
isopropyl alcohol is CH3H2COHCH3
and many thousands more....
All are alcohols.
The simplist alcohol is methanol. Ethanol takes second in that category.
100% ethanol is called ethanol
95% ethanol in water is called 95% ethanol in water.
Ethanol is actually the alcohol you drink in alcoholic beverages.
Everclear is an alcoholic beverage containing 95% ethanol
Most Vodka is 80 proof. 40% Ethanol in water with trace impurites to add flavor.
Not sure what experiment your talking about. vodka contains WATER as well as ETOH (aka ethanol aka ethyl alcohol aka Hydroxy ethane). If your experiment is related to drinking it, don't drink anything not sold as an alcoholic beverage. And don't do that until your of legal age. Pure ETOH is VERY reactive. it doesn't actually like being pure. does better as 95% ETOH in water. Commercially available DENATURED alcohol contains ethyl acetate. makes you sick if you drink it. Drinking methanol or isopropyl alcohol can make you blind or dead. Get it?
any other questions you can email me.
2007-01-11 16:55:12 · answer #1 · answered by Dr W 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mostly true, just a few comments to add. When people say "alcohol" they usually mean ethanol (the stuff in vodka, wine, beer, etc) just like when people say sugar they mean sucrose. Rubbing alcohol can be isopropanol or ethanol, I just saw some recently. Rubbing alcohol can also be obtained in 50, 70 and 90% versions. Denaturing mixtures can be of several different types from ethyl acetate to gasoline. Denatured alcohol is usually intended for paint thinner or industrial solvent. If ethanol is desired as a solvent or reactant for chemical uses, it is sold tax-free to schools in 55 gallon drums. Many graduate students keep a clean gallon jug to get their "lab vodka" in. Cut it with 50% distilled water before drinking. The ethanol in the drum is 95% by volume because there is such a strong affinity between alcohol and water that the 95% mixture distills at a lower temperature than the pure alcohol. This is known as an azeotrope which is a constant boiling mixture. Absolute alcohol is 100% pure ethanol which is made by a special way and might contain traces of benzene and so really shouldn't be drunk. Everclear is a brand of 95% alcohol that you can buy in a liquor store. Skoal!
2007-01-12 01:59:17 · answer #2 · answered by kentucky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ethanol is the alcohol that is found in the alcoholic beverages that you drink, it is known as "grain alcohol". Vodka contains ethanol. The amount of ethanol (% by volume) is given as half the "proof" of the liquer. SO most vodkas are 80 proof and 40% ethanol. You can drink pure ethanol from a lab and get very drunk, very quickly as it is more than twice the concentration of normal alcohol. The beverage "everclear" is actually nearly pure ethanol and is VERY strong. The ethanol that you find in the lab is NOT safe to drink because most of it is considered "denatured" which means that a small percentage of methanol and other substances (methyl ethyl ketone, etc.) are added to make the concentration of ethanol 95%. Ethanol can only be, at most, 95 % pure because as soon as the bottle is opened it absorbes moisture from the air and becomes 95%. You can purchase 100% ethanol, but it is diluted as soon as the bottle is opened.
Methanol is the alcohol known as "wood alcohol". It's about 2x as strong as ethanol to humans, however, there is a chance that you will go blind if you consume it. Many people went blind during prohibition because of this.
Isopropanol is the alcohol known as "rubbing alcohol." It toxic to humans and should not be consumed at all.
2007-01-12 01:07:03 · answer #3 · answered by Ross P 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. There is several types of Alcohol. Ethanol is the most common and is the one that everyone drinks. THe Ethanol you have in the lab has been adulterated. The 95% contains Methanol and Isopropyl alcohol. The government force the chemical industry to do this so people won't drink it. In a lab when you ask for reagent alcohol, they mean Ethanol. Yes You can substitute a ultrapure 100 proof Vodka in an experiment that require 50% Ethanol. The thing is that you have to pay a lot more for the Vodka. Because they didn't denature the Vodka (ADD methanol and Isopropyl alcohol) , the government add a huge tax. If you want to buy pure ethanol, you have to buy Absolute Ethanol from Fisher. Its extremely expensive.
2007-01-12 01:05:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Alcohol and ethanol are NOT the same thing. Ethanol is a type of Alcohol and alcohol are class of compounds which contain the -OH group attached to the alkyl group.
Ethanol is C2H5OH. Alcohol used for boozing contain utthemost 40% ethanol.
Ethanol if drunk in concentrated form, as is there in Lab , is toxic and may cause some damages. Also the lab ethanol is denatured by adding some other alcohol such as Methanol, to make it unfit for human consumption. Methanol may cause blinding is consumed.
If you use Vodka for lab experiments, it might not give you the same result as it is very diluted. Few experiments may work, not all.
2007-01-12 01:23:37 · answer #5 · answered by LiNa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An alcohol in chemistry is an organic compound with an -OH group.
ethanol is an alcohol.
if you mean alcohol that you drink, yes ethanol is the same thing. Vodka is around 40% ethanol, mixed with water depending on what proof it is.
Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl acohol. It's not the same thing.
2007-01-12 01:05:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ethanol is a specific type of alcohol. Alcohols are organic molecules with an -OH group attached. Ethanol has the formula C2H5OH. Ethanol is the type of alcohol people consume. Rubbing alcohol (more formally known as isopropyl alcohol) has the formula CH3CHOHCH3. Vodka does contain ethanol.
2007-01-12 01:01:07 · answer #7 · answered by ChemGirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ethanol is the kind of alcohol you can drink. All the others are poison. Vodka is only 40 % alcohol. If you want pure ethanol you would have to get Ever clear.
2007-01-12 01:42:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Ethanol is common rubbing alcohol, it is not interchangeable with Vodka in either ways. The one is no good for drinking, and the latter is no good for your experiment..
2007-01-12 00:57:06 · answer #9 · answered by snakker2k 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋