Ethanol is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₂H₅OH. It is a colorless, flammable liquid with a characteristic odor. Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of sugar or starch and is used as a fuel, solvent, and antiseptic.
In chemistry, ethanol is an alcohol, specifically a primary alcohol, as it has one alkyl group attached to the carbon atom bonded to the hydroxyl group. It has the general formula CH₃–CH₂–OH or C₄H₈O for its pure form. Its CAS number is 64-17-5. The boiling point of ethanol is 78 °C (172 °F), and its melting point is −114 °C (−173 °F). The density of ethanol at standard conditions (25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa) is 0.789 g/cm3.
The etymology of ethanol comes from the Greek ethane (ηθάνειος), meaning “to burn”, + -ol for “suffix denoting an alcohol”. Originally coined in 1833 by Swedish chemist Berzelius, it was determined that ethyl alcohol was present in alcoholic beverages. The term “alcohol” originally referred to the upper class of spirits known as “brandy”, which generally contained between 40% and 60% ABV (80 US proof). Today, however, in common usage around much of the world, when one speaks of alcohol or alcoholic beverages without further specification, they are almost always referring to ethanol. In many parts of Asia including Japan and Korea where rice wine (“sake”) dominates alcoholic beverage consumption, other liquors such as soju are often called “alcohol” when translated into English.”Alcohol” can also refer colloquially to any psychoactive substance including illegal drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine.