Which of the following is the principal intoxicating alcohol present in…

CONCEPT

An alcohol is an organic compound containing a hydroxyl (–OH) group, but membership in this chemical class does not make every alcohol safe to drink.

In alcoholic beverages, beverage alcohol means ethanol: fermentation converts sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide.

APPLICATION

Apply the distinction between the chemical class and beverage use. The drinkable intoxicating alcohol named in the list is ethanol, so the required substance is ethanol.

CONTRAST

• Methanol is a one-carbon alcohol. In the body it forms toxic metabolites such as formic acid and can cause severe poisoning, including visual injury.

• Hexenol denotes unsaturated six-carbon alcohols used as chemical or aroma compounds; it is not the standard intoxicating alcohol in beverages.

• More than one of the above requires at least two listed substances to qualify as beverage alcohol, which is not supported by the distinct toxicological and usage profiles of the named compounds.

• None of the above requires the qualifying set to be empty, which conflicts with the presence of the standard beverage alcohol among the listed substances.

CROSS-CHECK

Cross-check: ethanol is produced by alcoholic fermentation and is the alcohol measured as alcohol by volume (ABV) in beer, wine, and spirits.

RESULT

Therefore, the suitable alcohol for alcoholic beverages is ethanol.