Alcohol

For Alcoholic drinks please see the specific article.

Alcohols are a group of organic compounds consisting of a hydrocarbon or group with an -OH group; C_nH₂₊₁OH.

Commonly, the word alcohol refers to ethanol (C₂H₅OH), which is the predominant alcohol found in alcoholic drinks. Ethanol is produced by yeast during the anerobic metabolism, comparable to the production of lactic acid in mammals.

Methanol

Methanol consists of a single carbon atom, with three hydrogen atoms and a -OH. Traditionally, methanol was produced by the fermentation of wood, leading to the term 'wood alcohol'. Industrially, methanol can be produced by the reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen (CO + 2 H₂ = CHO₃OH). The primary use of methanol is its addition to ethanol to make it undrinkable.