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Common Names
Ethanol, Grain Alcohol
Latin Name
Habitat
Ethanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient of alcoholic beverages. The fermentation of sugar into ethanol is one of the earliest organic reactions employed by humanity.
Traditional Uses
Before the development of modern medicines, ethanol was used for a variety of medical purposes. It is still used today as an extract agent and preservative in herbal tinctures.
Medicinal Uses
Ethanol is used in medical wipes and in most common antibacterial hand sanitizer gels at a concentration of about 62% (percentage by volume, not weight) as an antiseptic. Ethanol kills organisms by denaturing their proteins and dissolving their lipids and is effective against most bacteria and fungi, and many viruses, but is ineffective against bacterial spores.
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