METHANOL


Meaning of METHANOL in English

n.

or methyl alcohol or wood alcohol

Simplest of the alcohols , chemical formula CH 3 OH. Once produced by destructive distillation of wood, it is now usually made from the methane in natural gas.

Methanol is an important industrial material; its derivatives are used in great quantities for making a vast number of compounds, among them many important synthetic dyes, resins, drugs, and perfumes. It is also used in automotive antifreezes, in rocket fuels, and as a solvent. It is flammable and explosive. A clean-burning fuel, it may substitute (at least in part) for gasoline . It is also used for denaturation of ethanol . A violent poison, it causes blindness and eventually death when drunk.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.