Description

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol or wood oil, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH. The name of wood alcohol comes from methanol first derived from wood distillation, but today methanol is derived directly from the catalytic industrial process of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Methanol is the simplest alcohol and is light, volatile, colorless and flammable, and has a distinct odor similar to that of ethanol, which is sweet and alcoholic. Methanol is a polar liquid that is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and sometimes as a substitute for ethanol.