In the liver, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into an?

1 Answer
Junaid Mirza
Apr 24, 2018

Acetaldehyde

Explanation:

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (#"ADH"#) converts ethanol to a toxic compound called acetaldehyde.

#"CH"_3"CH"_2"OH" + "ADH"\ ->\ "CH"_3"CHO"#
#color(white)(..)color(blue)"ethanol"color(white)(......................)color(blue)"acetaldehyde"#

Acetaldehyde is generally short-lived; it is quickly broken down to a less toxic compound called acetate (#"CH"_3"COO"^-#) by another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (#"ALDH"#).

#"CH"_3"CHO" + "ALDH"\ ->\ "CH"_3"COO"^-#
#color(blue)("acetaldehyde") color(white)(...................) color(blue)("acetate")#

https://www.halstedsurgery.org/GDL_Disease

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