Detection and General Deterrence Standardized Field Sobriety Test Course Ethyl Alcohol (Intended for human consumption) Chemical Symbols ETOH C2H5OH Ethanol

Session 2 – Detection and General Deterrence

Standardized Field Sobriety Test Course

Ethyl Alcohol

(Intended for human consumption)

Chemical Symbols

ETOH

C2H5OH

Ethanol

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H H

H H

H C C OH

The ingestible alcohol is known as ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. Its chemical abbreviation is

ETOH. The "ET" stands for "ethyl" and the "OH" represents the single oxygen atom

bonded to one of the hydrogen atoms, ("hydroxy radical"). Ethanol is the variety of

alcohol that has two carbon atoms. Two of ethanol's best known analogs are methyl

alcohol (or methanol), commonly called "wood alcohol", and isopropyl alcohol (or

isopropanol), also known as "rubbing alcohol".

Session 2 – Detection and General Deterrence

Standardized Field Sobriety Test Course

Yeast combines with sugars from fruit or

grains in a chemical reaction that results in

ETOH

Ethanol Production - Fermentation

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Ethanol is what interests us because it is the kind of alcohol that features prominently in

impaired driving. Ethanol is beverage alcohol, the active ingredient in beer, wine,

whiskey, liquors, etc. Ethanol production starts with fermentation. That is a kind of

decomposition in which the sugars in fruit, grains and other organic materials combine

with yeast to product the chemical we call ethanol. This can occur naturally, as yeast

spores in the air come into contact with decomposing fruit and grains. However, most of

the ethanol in the world didn't ferment naturally, but was produced under human

supervision.

When an alcoholic beverage is produced by fermentation, the maximum ethanol content

that can be reached is about 14 %. At that concentration, the yeast dies, so the

fermentation stops. Obtaining a higher ethanol content requires a process called

distillation. This involves heating the beverage until the ethanol "boils off", then

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HS 178 R5/13 29 of 39

collecting the ethanol vapor. It is possible to do this because ethanol boils at a lower

temperature than does water.Source: DWI Detection and

Standardized Field

Sobriety Testing

March 2013 Edition