甲醇 (jiǎchún): methanol

Meanings

1 methanol
2 methyl alcohol
3 wood alcohol (CH3OH)

Characters

甲

Examples

误饮甲醇会导致失明。

Wù yǐn jiǎchún huì dǎozhì shīmíng.

Accidentally drinking methanol can cause blindness.

这家工厂生产工业甲醇。

Zhè jiā gōngchǎng shēngchǎn gōngyè jiǎchún.

This factory produces industrial methanol.

Tips

memory

Chinese chemistry uses the 天干 (heavenly stems) to name carbon-chain lengths: 甲 = C1 (methyl), 乙 = C2 (ethyl), 丙 = C3 (propyl), 丁 = C4 (butyl). So 甲醇 = 1-carbon alcohol = methanol, 乙醇 = ethanol. Once you know this, organic names read like a ladder.