Why is alcohol flammable?

Answer 1

Alcohol is the name given to a group of molecules called hydrocarbons. The alcohol present in drinks is ethanol. These hydrocarbons contain many chemical bonds and in turn a large energy potential. When the the alcohol is lit by a another source of energy (lighter) the bonds break rapidly releasing energy in the form of heat. Fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal contain hydrocarbons. As a point of interest internal combustion engines do not efficiently harvest the energy contained in fossil fuels and hence pollute the atmosphere. In a similar comparison our bodies extract energy from similar bonds such as carbohydrates (sugars) and lipids (fats).