alcoholsoluble

Alcoholsoluble refers to the property of a substance to dissolve in alcohol, typically ethanol or isopropanol. Substances that are alcohol-soluble dissolve to form homogeneous solutions, while many compounds remain only partially soluble or insoluble in alcohol. The term is often used in chemistry, pharmacology, and botany to describe how a material behaves when exposed to alcoholic solvents.

Solubility in alcohol depends on the chemical structure and polarity of the substance, as well as temperature. Ethanol is moderately polar and can dissolve a wide range of polar and nonpolar compounds, especially those with intermediate polarity or with functional groups capable of hydrogen bonding. Very nonpolar hydrocarbons tend to be less soluble, while highly polar substances may be highly soluble or even miscible with alcohol. Temperature increases generally raise solubility for many solids in ethanol.

Applications include the preparation of tinctures and extracts, where plant material is dissolved in alcohol to obtain a soluble fraction of chemicals such as phenolics, terpenes, and flavonoids. In analytical chemistry, alcoholsolubility helps determine solvent choice for reactions, purification, and sample preparation. It is important to distinguish alcoholsolubility from water solubility or lipid solubility, as substances may be soluble in alcohol but not in water, or may exhibit mixed solubility properties.

Solubility in alcohol is commonly reported as the maximum amount dissolved at a given temperature (for example, grams per 100 milliliters of ethanol) or noted as complete miscibility, indicating unlimited solubility in the solvent.