Ethanol is the colorless, volatile, flammable intoxicating agent in liquors and is used as a fuel or solvent. Being called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, it is the most important member of a large group alcohol, an organic compound that has one or more hydroxyl(OH) groups attached to a carbon atom shown as: C-O-H or C-OH.

The formula of Ethanol can be shown as follows:

   Ethanol, if pure, is a colorless clear liquid which boils at 78C (172F.) and freezes at -112C (-170F). Its molecular weight is 46.07 and it has no basic or acidic properties. It is an ideal fuel as it burns with a pale blue flame with no residue and considerable energy. Ethanol mixes readily with water and with most organic solvents and is therefore an ideal solvent for making perfumes, paints, lacquer, and explosives.