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Glossary#

alcohol - a family of compounds which contains the –OH group.

aldehyde – primary alcohol oxidation product.

anaerobic - reaction which takes place without oxygen.

biofuel – a fuel derived or produced from renewable biological sources.

carbon-neutral – biofuel does not have net carbon dioxide emissions during the process from growing to combustion.

chain reaction – a series of reactions where the products of one reaction are the reactants for the next.

chlorofluorocarbon – a compound made of chlorine, fluorine and carbon only.

dehydration – the name of the reaction when alcohols undergo elimination to give alkenes, a molecule of water is removed.

ethanol – the alcohol which contains two carbon atoms. Formula: CH3CH2OH

ester - a family of compound which contain the group –COO–

fermentation – reaction in which yeast is used to convert glucose into ethanol.

free radical – a highly reactive substance which contains a single unpaired electron.

hydrofluorocarbon – a compound made of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon only.

inert – very unreactive.

intermolecular forces – the forces which hold molecules together.

ketone – secondary alcohol oxidation product.

methanol – the simplest alcohol, containing only one carbon. Formula: CH3OH.

ozone – a form of oxygen with the formula O3

ozone layer – a layer of the stratosphere, which contains high levels of ozone.

primary alcohol – the carbon atom where the -OH group is only attached to one alkyl group.atoms

secondary alcohol – the carbon atom tha carries the -OH group is attached to two alkyl group

stratosphere – layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, 15-30 km above the Earth’s surface.

ultraviolet – a type of electromagnetic radiation.