MeOH
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Chemistry
| Stands for | Methanol |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
MeOH stands for Methanol, a chemistry abbreviation.
Shorthand for methanol, CH3OH, the simplest alcohol, used as a solvent, antifreeze, fuel and feedstock for formaldehyde and acetic acid. It is highly toxic: swallowing a few tens of milliliters can cause blindness or death, which is why methanol contamination of illicit spirits is so dangerous.
Example: The crude solid was recrystallized from hot MeOH to give colorless needles.
Usage notes
Built from Me (methyl) plus OH. Methanol was once called wood alcohol because it was obtained by distilling wood. The body converts it to formaldehyde and formic acid, which damage the optic nerve; ethanol and fomepizole act as antidotes by blocking that conversion.
Related abbreviations
More chemistry abbreviations
- LDPE – Low-density polyethylene
- LUMO – Lowest unoccupied molecular orbital
- M – Molar (moles per liter)
- MALDI – Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization
- Me – Methyl group
- MEK – Methyl ethyl ketone
- MOF – Metal-organic framework
- MS – Mass spectrometry
- MSDS – Material safety data sheet
- MSG – Monosodium glutamate
- MTBE – Methyl tert-butyl ether
- MW – Molecular weight