Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a clear, colorless liquid that has a wine-like odor. As one of its names indicates, it is a hydrocarbon which belongs to the Alcohol function; a complete, saturated hydrocarbon consists of carbons and hydrogen, but in an alcohol, one or more hydrogens are replaced by a hydroxyl or alcohol group (-OH). This is demonstrated in the chemical formula of ethanol: C2H5OH; a hydrogen in the original hydrocarbon, ethane (C2H6), was replaced by a hydroxyl group to form ethanol. This type of alcohol has a wide variety of uses and purposes, although, as is the case with many substances, there are some drawbacks to the use or even the simple presence of ethanol. Ethanol is used as an ingredient in many different substances, but it must be made first. There are two different processes by which ethanol can be created, the most common way is by combining the hydrocarbon alkene ethene with steam. The other route is alcoholic fermentation, which is “the fermentation of carbohydrates such as sugar and starch.” In the absence of air, yeast cells convert carbohydrates into a mixture of ethanol and CO2 (Brown, LeMay, Burnsten, and Murphy). The mixture of ethanol and CO2 is then separated by the distillation process. At this point, ethanol can now be consumed by humans in the form of alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and spirits (of which ethanol is a main ingredient). ). But that's not the only use for the newly created ethanol; Ethanol can also be used as a fuel source, but for this to happen, the ethanol must be further processed. Ethanol that was fit for human consumption (to some extent) needs to be modified in order to make it a viable fuel source, and this is done through modification...... middle of paper .... ..Rentice Hall.Clark, J. (2003). Uses of alcohols. Accessed 2014 from www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alcohols/uses.htmlFisher Scientific. (August 24, 2001). Ethyl alcohol, denatured. Extracted in 2014 from the safety data sheet: avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/msds/ethanol.htmNational Institute on Drug Abuse. (2012, December). Alcohol. Retrieved 2014 from The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction: www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/alcohol New Jersey Department of Health. (2011, March). Hazardous substances information sheet. Retrieved 2014 from nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0844.pdf O'Leary, D. (2000). Ethanol. Accessed January 5, 2014 from www.ucc.ie/academic/chem/dolchem/html/comp/ethanol.htmlU.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Transportation and Air Quality;. (nd). Ethanol. Retrieved from FuelEconomy.Gov: www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ethanol.shtml