This article is only about the chemistry of the alcohols .

The alcohol used in drinks is ethanol ; more information can be found at alcoholic drink and alcoholism .

In chemistry , alcohol is a general term which refers to many organic compounds used in industry and science as reagents , solvents , and fuels . Alcohols are carbohydrates which are made of an alkyl group with one or more hydroxyl (- O H ) groups bound to its carbon atoms . Alcohol is colorless , and also transparent .

Names for alcohol [ change | change source ]

There are two ways of naming alcohols: Common names, and IUPAC names.

• Common names often are made by taking the name of the alkyl group, and adding the word "alcohol". For example, "methyl alcohol" or "ethyl alcohol".
• IUPAC names are made by taking the name of the alkane chain, removing the last "e", and adding "ol". Examples of this are "methanol" and "ethanol".

Properties [ change | change source ]

The hydroxyl (OH) group makes alcohols polar . Alcohols are very weakly acidic . Most alcohols are highly flammable.

Common alcohols [ change | change source ]

The simplest two alcohols are methanol (or methyl alcohol) and ethanol (or ethyl alcohol), which have the following structures:

• 
  Methanol
• 
  Ethanol

IUPAC nomenclature is used when describing more complex alcohols.

In common usage, "alcohol" often means ethanol or "grain alcohol". (See also: alcoholic proof ).

Other commonly used alcohols include:

• Isopropyl alcohol ( sec -propyl alcohol, propan-2-ol, 2-propanol) H ₃ C-CH(OH)-CH ₃ , or "rubbing alcohol"
• ethylene glycol (ethane-1,2-diol) HO-CH ₂ -CH ₂ -OH, which is the main substance in antifreeze
• glycerin (or glycerol , propane-1,2,3-triol) HO-CH ₂ -CH(OH)-CH ₂ -OH bound in natural fats and oils, which are triglycerides (triacylglycerols)
• phenol , an alcohol where the hydroxyl group is bound to a benzene ring .