Question

Write the chemical formula and name of the compound which is the active ingredient of all alcoholic drinks. List its two uses. Write chemical equation and name of the product formed when this compound reacts with-
(i) Sodium metal
(ii) Hot concentrated sulphuric acid

Answer 1

Hint: The active ingredient found in all alcoholic drinks is also the main component that is found in rectified spirit. It is a colorless liquid with a slight odor, and is soluble in water. It is flammable and volatile, so it evaporates easily when left in an open container.

Complete step by step solution:
The active ingredient found in all alcoholic beverages is Ethanol. It is also commonly referred to as ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol and drinking alcohol.
The chemical formula of ethanol is ${{\text{C}}_{\text{2}}}{{\text{H}}_{5}}\text{OH}$. It is made of nine atoms that include one oxygen (O) atom, two carbon (C) atoms and six hydrogen (H) atoms.
The uses of Ethanol are-
Ethanol is such a simple chemical compound, but it has many uses. It is used in antiseptics, household cleaning products and even varnishes.
1. Ethanol is effective in killing organisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses. So, it is no surprise that one of the common uses of ethanol is in hand sanitizer gels.
2. It is easily mixed with water and many other organic compounds; ethanol makes an ideal solvent for these products. It is a common solvent in deodorants, hairsprays and astringents. Paints, lacquers and varnish also have ethanol as one of their components.
(i).When sodium reacts with ethanol, it forms sodium ethoxide.
\[2Na(s)+2{{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}OH(l)\to 2{{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}ONa(l)+{{H}_{2}}(g)\]

(ii).When hot concentrated sulphuric acid reacts with ethanol, it forms ethane as the main product.
\[C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}OH\underrightarrow{^{{{H}_{2}}S{{O}_{4,}}443K}}C{{H}_{2}}=C{{H}_{2}}+{{H}_{2}}O\]
Therefore, Ethanol is the main active ingredient in all alcohol drinks. Its chemical formula is ${{\text{C}}_{\text{2}}}{{\text{H}}_{5}}\text{OH}$.

The two main uses of it is
(i).In hand sanitizers.
(ii).As common solvent.
When it reacts with sodium, it forms sodium ethoxide and with hot concentrated acid, it forms ethane.

Note: We should also know about rectified spirit. It is the undiluted state of ethanol of about 95 percent purity. Rectified spirit is the constant boiling point mixture which ethanol forms with water, and usually contains 95.6 percent of ethanol.