Like ethanol, methanol reacts with oxygen in the body. In the case of ethanol, this process makes acetaldehyde—a toxic chemical—and then acetate, or acetic acid, the acid found in vinegar.

If oxygen gets in, the ethanol will oxidise into ethanoic acid and the drink will taste like vinegar. Methanol is used as a chemical feedstock. It’s toxic, so it is added to industrial ethanol ...

When ethanol is oxidised by microbes, it forms a compound called ethanoic acid (CH ... For example, methanol can be oxidised to form methanoic acid. As well as the gain of oxygen through the ...