Dehydrating agents can be used to remove the remaining water and produce absolute ethanol. Much ethanol not intended for drinking is now made synthetically, either from acetaldehyde made from acetylene, or from ethylene made from petroleum. Ethanol can be oxidized to form first acetaldehyde and then acetic acid. It can be dehydrated to form ether. Butadiene, used in making synthetic rubber, may be made from ethanol, as can chloroform and many other organic chemicals.
Ethanol is used as an automotive fuel by itself and can be mixed with gasoline to form gasohol.
It is useful as a solvent for many substances and in making perfumes, paints, lacquer, and explosives. Most industrial ethanol is denatured to prevent its use as a beverage. These denaturants render ethanol unfit for some industrial uses. In such industries undenatured ethanol is used under close federal supervision. When an alcoholic beverage is swallowed, it passes through the stomach into the small intestine, where the ethanol is rapidly absorbed and distributed throughout the body.