Definition

Noun: A colorless, volatile, flammable, and toxic liquid alcohol with the chemical formula CH₃OH. It is the simplest form of alcohol, used primarily as an industrial solvent, antifreeze, fuel, and denaturant for ethanol. It is not suitable for consumption.

Usage and Examples

• As a solvent or industrial chemical:
  • The laboratory uses methyl alcohol to clean precision instruments.
  • Methyl alcohol is a key ingredient in the production of formaldehyde.
• As a fuel or antifreeze:
  • Some racing cars use methyl alcohol as a fuel.
  • A mixture containing methyl alcohol can prevent the radiator fluid from freezing.
• As a denaturant:
  • Methyl alcohol is added to industrial ethanol to make it undrinkable.

Advanced Usage and Technical Context

• Toxicology: Ingestion of can cause severe poisoning, leading to blindness or death, as the body metabolizes it into formic acid and formaldehyde.
• Alternative Energy: Research explores (methanol) as a potential renewable fuel and energy carrier, often termed "wood alcohol" due to its historical production from wood distillation.

Variants and Related Words

• Methanol: The systematic IUPAC name and most common synonym for .
• Wood alcohol: A historical term for , referencing its traditional production method.
• Carbinol: An older, now rarely used name in organic chemistry for .

Synonyms

• Methanol
• Wood alcohol (historical/contextual)
• Carbinol (archaic/technical)

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Methanol poisoning: The medical condition resulting from the ingestion of .
• Methanol fuel cell: A type of fuel cell that uses as its fuel source.

Noun

1. a light volatile flammable poisonous liquid alcohol; used as an antifreeze and solvent and fuel and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol