What exactly is alcohol?
Alcohol is a chemical, a substance, a drug, because it is legal and socially accepted in our society and has a long history it is viewed differently than other drugs or chemicals. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is an intoxicating ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor.1 All alcoholic drinks contain ethanol, it is produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars, and starches. (C6H12O6 (Glucose) + H2O==(Yeast)==> C2H6OH (ethyl alcohol) + CO2) Ethyl Alcohol C2H6O (EtOH) boils at 172 degrees F and freezes at -173 degrees F, this colorless liquid is flammable in air when there is 3-19% ethanol in the vapor. “Proof number” is a measurement of the alcohol content in a beverage. This measurement originated during the 18th century, when payments to sailors included rations of brandy. To ensure that the brandy being used as payment has not been watered down or was of good quality, it was proved by dousing gunpowder in a sample of brandy, and testing to see if it would ignite. If it didn’t ignite,
