All About Ethanol: Its Combustion And Properties (Coursework Sample)

ETHANOL
Ethanol is a systematic name designed by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) it is also referred to as alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and drinking alcohol, it is majorly found in almost all spheres of life such as in alcoholic drinks and beverages. Its common name is ethyl alcohol with a melting point of -114oC (John M, 2014). Ethanol just like a variety of alcohols, is colorless liquid with a characteristic odor sometimes confused to be scented. Its chemical formula is C2H6O which can structurally be illustrated as CH3-CH2-OH or C2H5-OH with an ethyl group linking a hydroxyl group, EtOH is an abbreviation used to refer to ethanol. Production of ethanol is mainly through the fermentation process whereby yeast and sugar are used (Lide, 2008). It is used as an addictive and recreational drug causing drunkenness and neurotoxicity when consumed in sufficient quantities. In homes, alcohol is used as a solvent, as fuel, and as a feedstock among other uses (Lide, 2012).
Ethanol may is an organic derivative of water in where one hydrogen atoms is replaced by an alkyl group, represented by R in organic structures. For example, the alkyl group is the ethyl group, −CH2CH3 (Gilman, 2011).
Just like water, ethanol has sp3 hybridized tetrahedral oxygen atom with nonbonding pairs of electrons occupying two out of four sp3 hybrid orbitals. Alkyl groups are heavier than hydrogen atom so the R−O−H bond angle in alcohols is bigger than the 104.5° H−O−H bond angle in water. For example, the 108.9° bond angle in methanol shows the effect of the methyl group, which is larger than the hydrogen atom of water (Daniel, W 2011).
Death from ethanol consumption is possible when blood alcohol level hits a limit of 0. 4%. A blood level of 0. 5% or more is mostly fatal(Vijay A, 2011). Levels of even less than 0. 1% are harmless to some extent though they cause intoxication. Memory lose often occurs at 0. 3-0. 4 %. Ethanol is metabolized as an energy-giving out carbohydrate nutrient, as it is metabolized to acetyl CoA, an intermediate for glucose metabolism, which applies in energy in the citric acid cycle or for biosynthesis (Bryan Lee, 2014).
In human body, Ethanol is converted into acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase and then into acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (John M, 2014). The product of the first step of this breakdown, acetaldehyde, is more toxic than ethanol. Acetaldehyde is linked to most of the clinical effects of alcohol. It increases the risk of liver cirrhosis of the liver, multiple forms of cancer, and alcoholism. Industrially, ethanol is produced both as a petrochemical, through the hydration of ethylene, and biologically, by fermenting sugars with yeast (David R.,2012). Small amounts of ethanol are endogenously produced by gut microflora through anaerobic fermentation. However most ethanol detected in biofluids and tissues likely comes from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Absolute ethanol or anhydrous alcohol generally refers to purified ethanol, containing no more than one percent water. Absolute alcohol is not intended for human consumption. It often contains trace amounts of toxic benzene which removes water by distillation. Consumption of this form of ethanol can cause death within a short time period (Haynes, 2011).
Uses of ethanol includes: antiseptic role where ethanol is used in medical wipes and antibacterial hand sanitizer gels. It kills organisms by denaturing their proteins and dissolving their lipids and is effective against most bacteria and fungi and many viruses. Ethanol may also be applied as an antidote to methanol and ethylene, often in high concentrations, is used to dissolve many water-insoluble medications. Liquid preparations of cough and cold remedies, pain medication and mouth washes may be dissolved in 1 to 25% concentrations of ethanol and mostly restricted in individuals with adverse reactions to ethanol (William, M.,2011). Ethanol is used in making medicine including acetaminophen iron supplements, ranitidine, furosemide, mannitol, phenobarbital, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and over-the-counter cough medicine.
Ethanol is one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive drugs. The amount of ethanol in the body is measured by blood alcohol content, which is here taken as weight of ethanol per unit volume of blood (Lide, 2012). Less quantities of consumed ethanol, produces euphoria and relaxation; people with these symptoms tend to become talkative and less inhibited, and may possess poor judgment (Lide, 2012). At higher concentrations, ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant higher leading to impaired sensory and motor function, slowed cognition, stupefaction, unconsciousness, and possible death (David R, 2012). Ethanol taken as a recreational drug, especially while socializing, due to its psychoactive effects. Ethanol is a volatile, colorless liquid that has a slight odor. It burns with a smokeless blue flame that is not always visible in normal light. Ethanol is slightly more refractive than water, having a refractive index of 1.36242 (at λ=589.3 nm. Complete combustion of ethanol forms carbon dioxide and water, with the wavelength as shown (John, M.,2014).
C2H5OH (l) + 3 O2 (g) → 2 CO2 (g) + 3 H2O (l)
36195036639500C2H5OH (l) + 3 O2 (g) → 2 CO2 (g) + 3 H2O (g)
Ethanol reacts with carboxylic acids in the presence of a catalyst forming ethyl esters and water as shown by the equation below.
RCOOH + HO...