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The Power of Alcohol
The Power of Alcohol
Ethyl Alcohol has such a wide range of uses and abilities that it is basically everywhere around us. It has major uses in multiple fields of sciencer as well as our personal lives.
The most important part is that ethanol is completely renewable due to the fact that it comes from plants which means that we will never run out of this important resource. Most people know Ethyl Alcohol as beer and other depressants, but its abundance and properties make it suitable for many other applications.
Drinking
Drinking
Most people know Ethyl Alcohol as the core ingredient in alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer. Ethanol is a depressant which means it slows your heart rate after being consumed and is a sedative, meaning it makes you tired, drowsy, and weak.
After taking your first drink of ethanol, it rapidly spreads into your bloodstream, and after 30 minutes your body will reach peak Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) before it begins to get metabolized. It is important to note that one-third of alcoholics develop alcoholic liver disease.
The lethal dosage of Ethyl Alcohol has been determined to be around 300-400 mL of pure ethanol consumed within an hour. This still applies if the ethanol is diluted. 500-1000 mL of 100-proof liquor is also a reported lethal dosage to recieve within an hour. 100-proof liquor is 50% ethanol.
Common Uses
Common Uses
Ethanol is also used inside many household items such as rubbing compounds, tonics, colognes, lotions, and perfumes, not to mention the use of Ethanol as a flavoring agent. Ethanol can be found in paints, antifreeze, disinfectants, and pesticides.
Ethyl Alcohol is also used in gasolines as a way to reduce emissions. About 40% of the gasoline in the United States has some Ethanol in it.
Scientific Uses
Scientific Uses
Ethanol is used in leather tanning to create leather. It is also used in silk screening which is way to print ink onto paper using sheets. It also has uses as a reagent in chromatography and synthetic organic chemistry.
It has uses as an antimicrobial agent, an anti foaming agent, and as a solvent and preservative in pharmaceutical preparations.
Unsuprisingly, ethanol is really good at killing bacteria; which is why it is used in hand sanitizer as well as in disinfectants.
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