Question

Ethanol is what most american’s refer to as “alcohol”. Our population has found a variety of different ways to make it and most people over a certain age drink it. This is fine because our body is able to process the ethanol into acetaldehyde which can be further processed into acetic acid which our body can use. Methanol or wood alcohol does not have the same effect. In fact, most people who drink it go blind and die.

Your job for this case study is to investigate what happens to methanol in our body that it different from that of ethanol. Please draw out all the stages of methanol oxidation and label the problems associated with each stage. Also include which enzymes do the oxidation steps

Methanol oxidation needs to be clearly shown with each enzyme indicated. Problems associated with each oxidation intermediate must be listed correctly and the compound name from each stage must be listed correctly.

Answer 1

the processing, or metabolism, of ethanol in the liver begins when an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase converts the chemical into another toxic chemical called acetaldehyde. This toxin is metabolized quickly, and in a few steps, it's broken down into innocuous carbon dioxide and water

The metabolism of methanol, however, doesn't go off as smoothly. The chemical depresses the central nervous system in the same way as ethanol, so in large quantities, it can kill someone in the same way as  ordinary alcohol poisoning, but according to the National Institutes of Health, even 2 to 8 ounces of methanol can be fatal to an adult.

This is because alcohol dehydrogenase, the same enzyme that breaks down ethanol, converts methanol into formaldehyde. This process is somewhat slow, which explains why the symptoms of methanol poisoning can sometimes take hours or days to manifest, but formaldehyde, once present, is processed very swiftly into formic acid, a chemical found in ant stings.An unchecked buildup of formic acid, which is slow to metabolize, damages the ocular nerve (possibly resulting in the permanent blindness often associated with the consumption of bad bootleg liquor) and can eventually lead to death.