Ethanol

Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with the structural formula CH₃CH₂OH, often abbreviated as C₂H₆O. A psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs known, ethanol produces a state known as alcohol intoxication when consumed as a beverage. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a solvent, and as a fuel. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol or spirits.