Alcohols

Michelle Ong Pei Yin 1001438342 
Yeoh Wan Xuan 1001438563
Shereen a/p Paranthaman 1001438017
Shobaa a/p Muthusamy 1001438413

 

ALCOHOLS

Alcohols occur widely in nature, many industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Not only these, alcohols also play an important role in our daily lives.

What is alcohol? Alcohol is one of the organic compounds that contain hydroxyl group (-OH).

First, let’s learn some physical properties of alcohol! Most of the common aliphatic alcohols, alcohol that consists up to about 11 carbon atoms, are liquids at room temperature. Alcohols have high boiling point because they form hydrogen bond. Hydrogen bond is the strongest bond therefore, a lot of heat required to overcome H-bond. Boiling points of alcohols increase with an increase in molecular mass and the number of hydroxyl groups present.

Uses of alcohol in our daily lives:
1. Fossil Fuels 

Alcohol(Ethanol) burns to produce carbon dioxide and water without releasing a lot of soot. Ethanol is non-toxic, biodegradable and water soluble, therefore the overall environmental quality increases.

Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and quickly biodegradable.  Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced from plants, unlike - See more at: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/ethanol-facts-environment#sthash.NAc1KQsn.dpuf

Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and quickly biodegradable.  Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced from plants, unlike - See more at: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/ethanol-facts-environment#sthash.NAc1KQsn.dpuf

 2. Perfumes
Ethanol is a colourless liquid with a sweet smell. Because alcohol generally evaporates at a fast rate, it helps spread its smell quickly.

3. Cleaner 
An example would be isopropyl alcohol. It also evaporates quickly, leaving almost zero oil stains thus it is commonly used as a solvent and cleaning fluid.

4. Antiseptic

    Alcohol is preferably used on the skin due to its lower concentration.

 5. Sedative 
 Doctors often provide sedatives to relieve a patient's anxiety and excitement prior to preparing them for surgery.

Advantages of alcohol consumption: 
Alcohol may have countless benefits in consumption but the key is to consume it in moderation. Below are the listed advantages: 


1. Relieves mental stress: 
 It is believed that alcohol provides a substantial amount of relief after a exhausting day of activities to users.

 2.  Promotes better sleep: 
Alcohol is known for its sedative effect, therefore inducing sleepiness.

 3. Increases in appetite: 
 Alcohol gives rise to blood flow to the stomach, causing hunger and hence food consumption. 

4. Keeps body warm:
 During cold conditions, drinking alcohol provides warmth to the body as it increases blood flow to the surface of the skin.
 

Disadvantages of alcohol consumption:

With advantages come disadvantages. Here are a few of them:-

1.Loss of self control: 
Excessive consumption of alcohol triggers a sense of very little self-control and might cause the drinker to behave uncontrollably which may bring upon fatal accident.

2.Damage to liver:

In the midst of trying to break down alcohol, the resulting chemical reaction will damage the liver cells.The damage caused will lead to inflammation and scarring as the liver tries to repair itself.

 3.Nerve damage:

Consumption of alcohol in the long run will slowly but surely cause a significant effect of degeneration in our nerve and muscle cells.

 4.Sedation and death: 

Alcohol is a sedative. Moderate consumption does not impose a high risk on the user but on heavy intake, alcohol might be considered a poisonous chemical and will eventually bring about devastating effects like death.