Ethanol is a compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen elements. Ethanol can be found naturally as a plant fermentation by-product and it can also be produced through the hydration of ethylene. Ethanol formula can be represented as C2H5OH or CH3CH2OH.
Properties of ethanol
Listed below are properties of ethanol
Physical properties
- At room temperature Ethanol is always a liquid.
- It has a melting point of 156K and a boiling point of 351 K.
- Ethanol is soluble in water.
Chemical properties
- Reaction with sodium:
When ethanol reacts with sodium it produces hydrogen gas and sodium ethoxide as the ultimate product.
\(\begin{array}{l}2Na~ +~ 2CH_3CH_2OH~ \rightarrow ~2CH_3CH_2O^-Na^+~ +~ H_2\end{array} \)
- Reaction with unsaturated hydrocarbons:
When ethanol is heated at 443 K in presence of excess concentrated sulphuric acid then alkene is obtained as the product.
\(\begin{array}{l}CH_3CH_2OH~ \underrightarrow{Conc.~H_2SO_4} ~CH_2=CH_2~ +~ H_2O\end{array} \)
