Which of the following is the chemical formula for ethyl alcohol?

The chemical formula for ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol, is correctly represented by CH₃CH₂OH. This formula highlights the structure of ethanol, which consists of a two-carbon alkyl chain (ethyl group, CH₃CH₂-) attached to a hydroxyl group (-OH).

The first carbon (C1) is part of the CH₃ group, while the second carbon (C2) connects to the rest of the molecule through a methylene group (-CH₂-), leading to the hydroxyl group. This structure is essential in identifying ethanol due to its specific arrangement of atoms, which differentiates it from other alcohols and organic compounds.

Other options do not accurately represent ethyl alcohol. For instance, CH₃OH denotes methanol, a one-carbon alcohol, while CH₃CH-OHCH₃ depicts isopropyl alcohol, also not the correct structure for ethanol. Finally, CH₂=CH-O-H represents vinyl alcohol, which also does not correspond to ethyl alcohol’s structural formula. Thus, the choice of CH₃CH₂OH as the representation of ethyl alcohol is clearly supported by its specific molecular structure.