What is the common abbreviation for ethanol when discussing alcoholic beverages?

Ethanol, the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, is commonly abbreviated as ETOH. This abbreviation is derived from the chemical structure of ethanol, which is ethanol's molecular formula represented as C2H5OH. The 'E' stands for ethyl, and 'TOH' indicates the presence of a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the carbon chain. This specific representation is widely used in scientific, clinical, and law enforcement contexts, especially when discussing alcohol consumption and testing related to driving under the influence.

The other options do not correctly represent ethanol in the same commonly accepted manner. OH simply denotes the hydroxyl group and does not specifically represent the entire ethanol molecule. CHO refers to a general group of organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but is not specific to ethanol. C2H5 represents part of ethanol’s structure, but it lacks the essential oxygen component, thus it is not the complete molecular representation. Therefore, ETOH is the preferred and recognized abbreviation for ethanol in discussions involving alcoholic beverages.