| |
alcohol
(alīkә-hol)
any organic compound containing the hydroxy (sbondOH) functional group except those in which the OH group is attached to an
aromatic ring, which are called phenols. Alcohols are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary according to whether the carbon atom to which the OH group is attached is bonded to one, two, or three other carbon atoms
and as monohydric, dihydric, or trihydric according to whether they contain one, two, or three OH groups; the latter two are called diols and triols, respectively.
Chemical structure of primary (A), secondary (B), and tertiary (C) alcohols.
ethanol.
an official preparation of ethanol, used as a disinfectant, solvent, and preservative, and applied topically as a rubbing compound, disinfectant, astringent,
hemostatic, and coolant.

Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
Click here for important legal information about Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
|