An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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An → alcohol having molecular formula C₂H₅OH. It is a colorless inflammable liquid with a characteristic odor. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar: C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2 C₂H₅OH + 2 CO₂. It is the active constituent of alcoholic beverages. It is used as a fuel and as a solvent in the extraction of specific substances. It is also known as → ethyl alcohol. Ethanol in the → interstellar medium was first detected toward the → Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud at 82.265, 90.118, and 104.809 GHz (B. Zuckerman et al. 1975, ApJ 196, L99).

Short for → ethyl alcohol.

Alcohol, also known as methyl alcohol, formula CH₃OH, formed in small quantities in the oxidation of methane. → methanol maser.

From → methane + -ol a suffix used in the names of chemical derivatives.

A maser source in which excited methanol molecules (CH₃OH) produce → maser emission. Methanol masers are signposts of the early stages of star formation, many being associated with sources that have not developed an → H II region. There are more than 20 different methanol transitions that have been observed. They are divided into two categories: Class I, excited by collisions, and class II, excited by infrared radiation. The most important class I masers are at a frequency of 44.1 GHz, while he most important class II masers are at a frequency of 6.7 GHz.

→ methanol; → maser.