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Is isopropyl alcohol the same as ethyl alcohol?

April 26, 2017alcohol Chemistry ethyl isopropyl Mathematics

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Is isopropyl alcohol the same as ethyl alcohol?

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No. Isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) has the formula of CH3CHOHCH3. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol, drinking alcohol) has the formula of CH3CH2OH. Ethyl alcohol has one less CH2 (in total, often referred to as just “one less carbon” because the hydrogens are assumed to be there) than isopropyl alcohol. Also worth noting: Isopropanol is one form of propanol! Propanol means “any 3 carbon alcohol”. In isopropanol, the OH group (the part that makes it an alcohol) is on the middle carbon of the chain. In “n-propanol”, or “1-propanol”, the OH group is on the first (or last) carbon of the chain. Ethanol has only one form, however. It is any 2-carbon alcohol, and there is only one form that is 2-carbon like that.