Question

"Alcohol is harmful as a drink". Explain

Answer 1

Hint: The hydroxyl (-OH) functional groups are known as alcohols. They can be harmful to a human body when consumed in large quantities or even a small quantity in some cases.

Complete step by step solution: Alcohols are a family of compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl (-OH) functional group attached to a single bonded alkane.
Ethanol is commonly known as alcohol. Oxidation of ethanol forms acetaldehyde in cells, mainly of liver. As a result, a person feels like vomiting or loses balance.
Ethanol also has an adverse effect on eye-sight, causing blindness, and on the liver, causing cirrhosis.
Intoxication, dehydration, loss of balance, clumsiness, poor reflex actions, ambiguous speech, etc. are its immediate effects of ethanol .
But prolonged alcohol consumption leads to liver ailments and brain disorders.
Alcohol consumption increases cancer risk and women become more prone to breast cancer.
If women consume alcohol during pregnancy, then there are major chances of alcohol affecting the foetus. As alcohol dissolves in the mother's blood stream and easily passes to the bloodstream of foetus. This may cause severe defects in brain and organ development, visual and hearing impairment in the child, mental retardation, etc; and may even cause miscarriage.

Thus, alcohol is harmful for drinking.
Note: There are four types of alcohol: ethyl, denatured, isopropyl and rubbing. The ethyl alcohol is used the one that is made by fermenting sugar and yeast and is used in beer, wine, and liquor. Denatured alcohol is the ethyl alcohol that has been mixed with smelly, toxic, or nauseating substances. These are denatured to keep people from drinking them and are thus used in cleaning and stain removal products.
 Isopropyl is made from propylene gas. It is similar to synthetic ethyl alcohol and is poisonous if consumed. It is used in windshield and nail polish removers.
Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol diluted with water.
Thus, among these four types of alcohol only one is used in drinking beverages but that should also be avoided, and the rest are supposed to be put under your kitchen sink.