Ethyl alcohol or ethanol: what is it and what role does it play in the disinfection process?
Ethyl alcohol and ethanol are two different names for the same chemical compound. Because this compound is often used in alcoholic beverages, it is also known as drinking alcohol. Next, we will discuss the characteristics of ethanol by providing information on common ethyl alcohol uses .
Table of contents
- What is ethyl alcohol?
- Ethanol uses: properties and composition of ethyl alcohol
- The use of ethyl alcohol in medicine
- Precautions in the use of ethanol
- Ethyl alcohol – uses in the food industry
What is ethyl alcohol?
Ethyl alcohol is what we commonly know as ethanol. Ethanol is a simple alcohol with the molecular formula C2H5OH. It is a clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic odor. In addition, this compound is a flammable liquid. Its melting point is -114.1 degrees Celsius, and its boiling point is 78.5 degrees Celsius. Ethanol is polar due to the electronegativity difference between the oxygen and hydrogen in the -OH group. Also, because of the -OH group, it can form hydrogen bonds.
Ethyl alcohol is used in the alcoholic beverage industry. Depending on the ethanol percentage, there are different types of beverages, such as wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, spirits, etc. Ethanol can be easily obtained through the process of fermenting sugar with the help of the enzyme zymase.
The enzyme is naturally present in yeast; thus, in anaerobic respiration, yeast can produce ethanol. Furthermore, this ethanol is toxic to the body and is converted to acetaldehyde in the liver, which is also toxic.
Besides these uses, ethanol is useful as an antiseptic to clean surfaces by eliminating microorganisms. Moreover, we can use it as fuel and as a fuel additive in vehicles. Ethyl alcohol is miscible with water and also serves as a good solvent.
Ethanol uses: properties and composition of ethyl alcohol
What is ethanol? Ethanol is the second member of the homologous series of alcohols whose first member is methanol. Ethanol is also known as ethyl alcohol, which is the most widespread and commonly used alcoholic beverage, which is why it is sometimes referred to simply as alcohol.
Ethanol is produced on a large scale by the fermentation of carbohydrates (the method used for alcoholic beverages) and by the hydration of ethylene. In the fermentation process, yeast is used to convert carbohydrates (sugar cane, beets, wheat, corn, etc.) into ethanol, and in the ethylene hydration method, ethanol is produced by passing a mixture of ethylene and steam over an acid catalyst at temperature and pressure.
Properties of ethanol
At room temperature, ethanol is always liquid. It has a melting point of 156 K and a boiling point of 351 K. As mentioned earlier, ethanol is one of the most active ingredients in all alcoholic beverages. It is also used in the manufacture of various medicines, such as cough syrups, tonics, as well as iodine tincture, because it is a very good solvent. Any proportion of ethanol is perfectly soluble in water.
Consuming alcohol for a long period of time can cause diseases and negative health effects. Ethanol, when oxidized with monatomic oxygen, produces ethanoic acid. Ethanol is a combustible material. It produces carbon dioxide, water, heat, and light when burned in the presence of oxygen.
Ethyl alcohol uses: solvent properties
Ethanol is a versatile solvent, which means it is miscible with water. It is also miscible with many organic solvents, including acetic acid, acetone, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, diethyl ether. The main use of ethanol as a solvent is in the manufacture of iodine tincture, cough syrups, etc. Ethanol is also miscible with light aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as pentane and hexane, and with aliphatic chlorides, such as trichloroethane and tetrachloroethylene.
The miscibility of ethanol with water contrasts with the immiscibility of longer-chain alcohols. The chain is five or more carbon atoms long, whose miscibility with water drops sharply as the number of carbon atoms increases.
Mixtures with dodecane and higher alkanes show a miscibility gap below a certain temperature. The miscibility gap tends to become increasingly larger with higher alkanes. And the temperature for complete miscibility increases with the gap.
Ethanol – Uses in the disinfection process
In the medical field, alcohol is used in various forms as an antiseptic, disinfectant, and antidote. Applied to the skin, alcohol is used to disinfect the surface before a needle prick and before a surgical procedure. Alcohol can be used both to disinfect the person's skin and the hands of healthcare providers. It can also be used to clean other areas and in mouthwash. Ethanol is used to treat methanol or ethylene glycol toxicity when fomepizole is not available.
The versatile substance is used in the medical field in the form of medical wipes and, most commonly, in antibacterial hand sanitizer gels as an antiseptic for its bactericidal and antifungal effects. Ethanol kills microorganisms by dissolving the lipid membrane layer of the microorganisms and denaturing their proteins.
It is also effective against most bacteria and fungi and viruses. In the ethyl alcohol uses category, it is also noted that it is used as an antidote in the case of ethylene glycol and methanol poisoning.
In the cosmetic and beauty products industry, ethanol is a common ingredient when it comes to skin sanitizing lotions. In paints, ethanol is used as a preservative because it is an effective solvent, and also in cleaning products to prevent the entry of organisms. It is used as a color additive and is also used to provide an enhanced flavor.
The use of ethyl alcohol in medicine
Ethanol is an important ingredient in many pharmaceutical products, including medicines, vaccines, and disinfectants. It has two key roles in the pharmaceutical industry: as a solvent and as a preservative.
As a solvent, ethanol diffuses active pharmaceutical ingredients, making them easier to administer and more effective. It serves as a preservative in vaccines and other injectable drugs, where it helps prevent contamination with bacteria and other microorganisms.
Ethyl alcohol – Uses in homeopathy
Ethanol has traditionally had a variety of applications and remains pharmaceutically relevant. It is a universal solvent for both hydrophilic and lipophilic substances. At the same time, it replaces preservative and stabilizer additives.
In addition, ethanol is used in the production of plant extracts and in homeopathy in the production of liquid potencies. Due to its widespread use as a recreational substance in almost every culture and its well-known toxic potential, in recent years experts and consumers have discussed the safe use of medicines containing ethanol, especially for children.
Part of the debate is based on scientific evidence, while the other is very often emotional, based on observations of excessive absorption. For a relevant and science-based assessment, a distinction must be made between the necessity of ethanol in medicines and the risks caused by alcohol abuse or poisoning in children caused by, in the worst case, e.g., excessive drinking.
Precautions in the use of ethanol
Ethanol should be avoided completely by high-risk patients ("dry alcoholics," people with liver disease, brain injuries, or epilepsy). In addition, the use of medicines containing relevant amounts of ethanol is not recommended in pregnant or breastfeeding women and in patients taking interacting medications.
For these reasons, all pharmaceutical preparations state clearly and visibly on the packaging and in the leaflet warnings graded according to the dose. Although these data illustrate the safe use of medicines containing ethanol at the recommended dose, companies producing medicines and supplements are trying to meet the requirements of authorities and consumers to renounce ethanol in pharmaceutical products, for example, by switching to other solvents.
However, this may lead to other toxicity questions and to changing the efficacy. So far, there is no equivalent substitute in most cases. Producing dry extracts instead of fluid extracts and removing ethanol from finished products must meet very strict requirements (under certain circumstances new preclinical and clinical data) and requires major investments in terms of time and costs.
Ethyl alcohol uses in the food industry
Ethyl alcohol is the only alcohol that is suitable for human consumption – as long as denaturants are not added. It has been a main ingredient in alcoholic beverages since prehistoric times. Beer, wine, and spirits are produced by fermenting grains, fruits, or vegetables with yeast, which converts natural sugars into alcohol.
How much alcohol a drink contains depends on the specific beverage, which can vary in alcoholic strength from low-alcohol beer to high-alcohol spirits.
The food and beverage industry also uses ethanol as a solvent for dyes and flavors, as well as to create extracts. Ethanol is a common ingredient in vanilla extract, for example, which is used in many desserts, cakes, and other baked goods.
Conclusion
Although ethanol is widely used, it is a dangerous chemical. Ethanol is highly flammable. As such, it has exact flash points that are very important to know during use. Although ethanol is used in alcoholic beverages, ingestion of pure ethanol can cause coma and death.
Ethanol is a very important industrial chemical that is used as a solvent in the synthesis of other organic chemicals. It is also used as a gasoline additive in the automotive industry for the formation of a mixture called gasohol. Ethanol is the key component in almost all alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and spirits. It is also used in the cosmetic and beauty products industry, paints, as a color additive, or as an antiseptic.
Sources:
https://www.dgra.de/deutsch/studiengang/master-thesis/2015-59894
https://www.toppr.com/guides/chemistry/alcohols-phenols-and-ethers/ethanol/
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-ethyl-alcohol-and-vs-isopropyl-alcohol/
