Uses of alcohols, phenols and ethers

Each of the three families covered in this chapter has genuine everyday and industrial uses. Among the alcohols, methyl alcohol (methanol) is used as a solvent for paints and varnishes, while ethyl alcohol (ethanol) serves both as an antifreeze agent in automobile radiators -- lowering the freezing point of the water-based coolant so it does not freeze and crack the radiator in cold weather -- and, separately, as a general-purpose solvent. Among the phenols, phenol itself is the starting material for phenol-formaldehyde resin, the classic example of which is bakelite, one of the earliest fully synthetic plastics; phenols more broadly are also valued for their antiseptic (germicidal) properties and are formulated into everyday products such as air fresheners, deodorants, mouthwash, calamine lotion, and floor cleaners. Among the ethers, diethyl ether was historically used as a general anaesthetic in surgical operations, a use that has since declined because of its flammability and its tendency to form explosive …