Question

Write three chemical properties of ethanol. Why is it used as a fuel?

Answer 1

Hint: Ethanol is an alcohol and it is highly flammable. It has various industrial uses and it is a component of gasohol which is used as a fuel. It is a better fuel than the others as it burns efficiently and is considered as an environment friendly option.

Complete answer:
Ethanol is an alcohol with the chemical formula ${{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}OH$ which we can also write is as $C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}OH$. Ethanol is commonly known as ethyl alcohol and is a common solvent for polar molecules. Ethanol is highly flammable and a colourless liquid.
Now, we will discuss the chemical properties of ethanol-
- We can form ethyl ethanoate by reacting ethanol with ethanoic acid in presence of concentrated sulphuric acid. Ethyl ethanoate is an ester formed by the reaction of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. This reaction is known as esterification.
     \[C{{H}_{3}}COOH+{{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}OH\xrightarrow{conc.{{H}_{2}}S{{O}_{4}}}C{{H}_{3}}COO{{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}+{{H}_{2}}O\]
- Ethanol is the only alcohol which shows the iodoform test which is a test for the detection of alcohols and aldehydes.
     \[C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}OH\xrightarrow{NaOH+{{I}_{2}}}CH{{I}_{3}}+HCO{{O}^{-}}N{{a}^{+}}+NaI+{{H}_{2}}O\]
Ethanol is the only alcohol which forms the yellow precipitate of triiodomethane thus, shows positive results in iodoform test.
-We can use ethanol for the identification of ethanol as in presence of acidic ${{K}_{2}}C{{r}_{2}}{{O}_{7}}$ it is oxidised to ethanoic acid and the colour of the solution changes from orange to green.
     \[C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}OH+\left[ O \right]\xrightarrow{{{K}_{2}}C{{r}_{2}}{{O}_{7}}(acidic)}C{{H}_{3}}COOH+{{H}_{2}}O\]
Besides these chemical properties, ethanol can also be used as a fuel as it is flammable and burns efficiently than the other fuels.
-After combustion of ethanol, the only products formed are carbon dioxide and water. It has been used to fuel buses as it favoured for environment conscious transportation.
-A mixture of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline is used as fuel in internal combustion engines. Generally, ethanol degrades certain rubber and plastic materials which are used in automobiles but this ratio of gasoline and ethanol is safe even for regular vehicles.

Note:
We should be confused between ethanal and ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol whereas ethanal is an aldehyde. Besides these chemical uses, ethanal is widely used as an antiseptic and disinfectant. It is the major component of hand sanitizers and other alcohol based surface disinfectants.