Download Physiological Properties and Uses of Alcohols and Ethers

9-11
Physiological Properties and Uses of Alcohols and Ethers
Methanol:
Formed by catalytic reduction of CO and H2 at high temperatures and
pressure.
Used as a solvent, a fuel for camp stoves and soldering torches, and as a
synthetic intermediate.
Highly poisonous. May lead to blindness or death.
A possible precursor of gasoline.
Ethanol:
Alcohol in alcoholic beverages
General depressant
High in calories, little nutritional value
Metabolically degraded linearly with time
Poisonous (lethal concentration ~ 0.4%)
Near toxic dose used to treat methanol poisoning
Produced by fermentation of sugars and starch
Commercially produced by the hydration of ethylene.
Used as a solvent, a synthetic intermediate, and as a gasoline additive
(gasahol)
2-Propanol:
Toxic, but not absorbed through the skin
Used as a rubbing alcohol, a solvent, and as a cleaning agent
1,2-Ethanediol (ethylene glycol):
Used as an antifreeze (completely miscible with water)
Produced from ethene:
1,2,3-Propanetriol (glycerol, glycerine):
Non-toxic
Major component of fatty tissue
Liberated by the action of alkali on fats to form soaps:
Phosphoric esters of glycerols are major cell membrane components.
Used in lotions, cosmetics, and medicinal preparations.
Forms nitroglycerine upon treatment with nitric acid.
Cholesterol:
An important steroid alcohol
Ethoxyethane (diethyl ether):
Formally used as an anesthetic
Explosive when mixed with air
Oxacyclopropane (oxirane, ethylene oxide)
Industrial chemical intermediate
Fumigating agent for seeds and grains
Oxacyclopropane derivatives control insect metamorphosis and are formed
during enzyme-catalyzed oxidations of aromatic hydrocarbons (highly
carcinogenic).
Alcohol and ether groups are found in natural products such as morphine and
tetrahydrocannabinol:
Lower MW thiols and sulfides are notorious for their foul smells.
The odor of the skunk’s defensive spray are thiols and a sulfide:
When highly diluted, thiols and sulfides have a pleasant odor:
freshly chopped onion or garlic, black tea, grapefruit.
The compound responsible for the taste of grapefruit can be tasted in
concentrations in the ppb range:
Drugs such as the sulfonamides (sulfa drugs) contain sulfur in their molecular
framework: