Ethanol is an organic compound with hydroxyl groups, called alcohol for short, and its molecular formula is C2H5OH. Ethanol is a colorless and transparent liquid, which is sweet, flammable and ignites in case of fire. Ethanol is soluble in water and many organic solvents at room temperature.

Polar solvents refer to solvents containing polar groups such as hydroxyl or carbonyl, that is, solvents containing polar molecules. Because the centers of gravity of positive and negative charges in the molecule do not coincide, the molecule is polar. The physical quantity used to characterize the polarity of molecules is dipole moment or dielectric constant, and a large dielectric constant means a large polarity.

The molecule of ethanol contains hydroxyl, which makes the molecule polar and can form hydrogen bonds with other polar molecules, thus showing strong solubility. Ethanol is a general solvent, which can dissolve many compounds, such as inorganic salts, aldehydes, ketones, fats, sugars, biomolecules and so on.

Because of the polarity of ethanol molecules, it can dissolve many polar substances, but it has poor solubility in nonpolar substances. For example, ethanol can dissolve a variety of sugars, but the solubility of ethanol is much worse for fatty substances. At the same time, the acidity and alkalinity of ethanol will also affect its solubility. For example, after mixing with acid, the solubility of ethanol will decrease.

Ethanol has good solubility and can dissolve many polar substances, but it has poor solubility for nonpolar substances. When ethanol is used as a solvent, it is necessary to analyze the substance to be dissolved in detail to confirm its solubility and whether it is suitable as a solvent.

The difference between polar solvents and nonpolar solvents

The polarity of solvent is an important factor affecting solubility and chemical reaction. In solvents, solutes must first interact with solvent molecules. Usually polar substances will be dissolved in polar solvents, and nonpolar substances will be dissolved in nonpolar solvents. Polar solvents refer to hybrid orbitals with polar bonds or lone pairs in molecules, such as water and alcohol. Non-polar solvents, such as petroleum ether and carbon tetrachloride. The electron cloud density distribution is uniform, and there is no difference between positive and negative electrodes.