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| Identity |
| 3D Structure |
| Physicochemical data |
| Environmental fate |
| Mammal toxicology |
| Ecotoxicology |
| Metabolism |
| Safety classifications |
| Evaluation |
Methanol [67-56-1] |
| In mammalian organisms methanol (1) is oxidized by alcohol dehydrogenase to formaldehyde (2). Formaldehyde (2) may be further oxidized by aldehyde dehydrogenase to yield formic acid (3) which can be excreted as formate salt in urine. Formic acid (3) can also be mineralized to CO2 and excreted via the lungs. The higher toxicity of methanol compared to ethanol is in large part an effect of the highly reactive metabolite formaldehyde (2). Additionally formaldehyde is slower metabolized by aldehyde dehydrogenase than acetaldehyde. |
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