Posted by Miguel (209.42.225.136) on February 21, 2000 at 10:21:20:
In Reply to: Linda's right. Alcohol = clusters posted by BobG on February 21, 2000 at 01:52:14:
Alcohols are simple, organic compounds
which are found in many forms, depending
on their chemical structure, a chain (short
or long) of carbon and hydrogen atoms, bound through
single bonding, and containing a hydroxy group (OH)
they range from Methanol (CH3-OH, to who knows), propanol (C3H7OH)
butanol, pentanol, hexanol, etc. Some are extremly toxic, i.e. methanol
and propanol (isopropyl alcohol) (perhaps the most
widely known besides ethanol) among others.
To address Lindas definitions, she is right.
the end result of EtOH consumptions is vasodilation,
but it is actually known as a vasoconstrictor during
its early stages of effect. The same applies to
serotonin. The ultimate effect is vasodilation, but
the initial effect is that of vasoconstriction. These
mechanisms are not as simplistic as here expressed,
but they do define the interaction between molcule and
vascular wall. The sertonin phenomena is more of by
excess and then lack of it due to enzymatic action, thus
no feedback regulatory mechanism exists, and the
vessel has nowhere to go but vasodilation.