Physical Properties
Ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, is a colorless, transparent, flammable, and volatile liquid at room temperature and pressure. It has a pungent odor and a characteristic aroma. It is readily soluble in polar solvents such as water, methanol, ether, and chloroform (like dissolves like), and can also be used as a solvent to dissolve many compounds, such as formic acid and ammonium chloride. Furthermore, anhydrous ethanol is hygroscopic; it exhibits a certain degree of stability after absorbing 0.3-0.4% water.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of ethanol mainly depend on its hydroxyl group and it can undergo substitution, esterification, halogenation, and dehydration reactions.
