Question

Name an organic compound which is: called ‘Wood spirit’.

Answer 1

Hint: Methanol is a clear liquid with no colour. It reacts with air to generate explosive combinations and burns with a nonluminous flame. In water, it is totally miscible. Methanol has a similar odour to ethyl alcohol, the intoxicant in alcoholic beverages, but it is a hazardous poison; drinking mixes containing it has resulted in numerous cases of blindness or death.

Complete answer:
Methanol \[\left( {C{H_3}OH} \right)\] , commonly known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, or wood spirit, is the most basic in a long series of chemical compounds known as alcohols. It is made up of a methyl group \[\left( {C{H_3}} \right)\] coupled to a hydroxyl group \[\left( {OH} \right)\] . Previously, methanol was made by distilling wood in a damaging manner. Modern methanol production relies on the direct reaction of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Syngas, a blend of hydrogen and carbon monoxide generated from biomass, is increasingly being used in the manufacturing of methanol.
Pure methanol is a crucial component of chemical synthesis. Its derivatives are used in large amounts to make a wide range of chemicals, including several important synthetic dyestuffs, resins, medicines, and perfumes. Dimethylaniline is used in colours while formaldehyde is used in synthetic resins in large quantities. It's also found as antifreeze for automobiles, rocket fuel, and as a general solvent. Methanol is also a high-octane, clean-burning fuel that could be a viable alternative to gasoline in automobiles. Methanol generated from wood is mostly used to render industrial ethyl alcohol unfit for consumption.

Note:
Methanol is poisonous in two ways. For starters, methanol poisoning can be lethal due to its effects on the central nervous system, as it acts as a central nervous system depressant similar to ethanol poisoning. Second, it is metabolised to formic acid (which is present as the formate ion) via formaldehyde in a toxication process initiated by the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.