The acetaldehyde, like the ethanol, needs to be destroyed in order for the body to digest it. Aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme is the enzyme that, along with water, is responsible for converting the acetaldehyde molecules into acetate ions. The reaction is shown below.
The resulting hydrogen atoms are not put to waste. They are used to convert NAD to NADH. This is a vital processing of hydrogen atoms that occurs in many processes within the body. The reaction is shown below.
NAD + H NADH
The process shown above can only work so fast. The disposal rate of ethanol in a 150-pound human is about 0.5 ounces of ethanol per hour. When more than 0.5 ounces of ethanol are consumed within an hour, the liver falls behind in the disposal of the toxins.
Ethanol has made its mark on society from the first people of Mesopotamia to the city living people of today. It has put itself into the lives of everyone, from consumers, to sellers, to manufacturers, to all the people between. Its chemical process has been used for thousands of years while remaining unknown. Now that it has been mapped, ethanol applications have become more consistent and have been able to grow to great production levels. The breakdown of sugars through glycolysis and fermentation that leads to the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide could not happen without yeast. This fungus, along with the enzymes that it contains, is vital to the anaerobic process. Products such as liquors, baked goods, and medicines rely on this process to keep the public happy. The effects of the ethanol produced through fermentation on the body can be handled to a certain degree. Diseases, though, can be gained from excessive use of ethanol due to the liver s lack of ability to break down the ethanol in large quantities. Fermentation, in its general form, is known by almost everybody, but its many aspects, relating to subjects from chemistry to society, are only known by few. There is no way to guess what our present world would be like without the important contributions that fermentation has made. Many think that the world would be better, and others think it would be worse. One thing that cannot be questioned, though, is that the fermentation leading to the creation of ethanol has made billions and billions of dollars in profit, along with giving millions of people jobs. It is amazing that something that has had such a large impact on the world (as the fermentation of ethanol has) begins on the molecular level.
Bibliography
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