Absolutely Small

15

Beer and Soap

IN THIS CHAPTER, we will look at several types of molecules to see how differences in their nature influence chemical processes. First, alcohols will be introduced. An alcohol is an organic molecule that contains a particular type of chemical group. An alcohol can be a relatively small molecule, such as ethyl alcohol, which chemists usually call ethanol. Ethanol is the alcohol in beer, wine, and vodka. However, large important biological molecules, such as cholesterol, are also alcohols. We will get to such large molecules in Chapter 16. We will see why ethanol dissolves in water, how it can turn into vinegar, and outline the chemical reactions in your body that makes methanol (wood alcohol) poisonous, but ethanol safe, at least ...