Al-Kindī (801-873) unambiguously described the distillation of wine.
The writings attributed to Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber) (721-815) mention the flammable vapors of boiled wine. Its isolation as a relatively pure compound was first achieved by Persian alchemists who developed the art of distillation during the Abbasid caliphate, the most notable of whom was Al-Razi. Dried residues on 9000-year-old pottery found in northern mainland China imply the use of alcoholic beverages even among Neolithic peoples. Because it burns cleanly, ethanol has a long history as a fuel, including as a fuel for internal combustion engines.Įthanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages. In chemistry it is both an essential solvent and a fundamental feedstock for the synthesis of other products. In modern times ethanol intended for industrial use has also been produced from byproducts of petroleum refining.īecause of ethanol's ease of production and its low toxicity, it finds widespread use as a solvent for substances intended for human contact or consumption, including scents, flavorings, colorings, and medicines.
Its molecular formula is variously represented as EtOH, CH 3CH 2OH, C 2H 5OH or as its empirical formula C 2 H 6 O (which it shares with dimethyl ether).Īfter the use of fire, fermentation of sugar into ethanol is perhaps the earliest organic reaction known to humanity, and the intoxicating effects of ethanol consumption have certainly been known since ancient times. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol. Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, slightly toxic chemical compound, and is best known as the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.
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