Alcohols Alcohols Alcohols are organic compounds in which the OH group is bonded to a carbon. HOCH 3 . Methanol is now made by the reaction of H 2 and CO using a cobalt catalyst. Methanol is highly toxic and causes damage to the optic nerve and blindness in small doses.
Larger doses result in liver damage and death.
Ethanol, ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol . Ethanol is the alcohol present in alcoholic beverages. It can be made by fermentation of almost every grain and fruit, or from sugar. Industrially it is also made from the catalytic hydration of ethylene. Ethanol is made by gut bacteria and is metabolized by the body by the ethanolase enzyme.