酒
维基百科，自由的百科全书
酒是人類飲用歷史最長的一種飲料，飲用酒是醇類(有機化合物其中一大類別)的其中一種，其最基本定義是指飲料中所含的主要成份是乙醇（酒精）。
目录 |
[编辑] 历史
酒作为标准饮食，用于卫生用途，用于放松和产生快感，用于娱乐，用于催情等其它的用途，早自史前就被世界各地的人们广泛饮用。 Some drinks have been invested with symbolic or religious significance suggesting the mystical use of alcohol, 例如 by Greco-Roman religion in the ecstatic rituals of Dionysus (also called Bacchus), god of drink and revelry; in the Christian Eucharist; and on the Jewish Shabbat and festivals (particularly Passover).
[编辑] 发酵饮料
中国河南舞阳县的新石器时代贾湖文化遗址出土的陶器内吸收和封存的液体残迹经化学分析表明，九千年前人们就通过混合稻米，蜂蜜和水果的发酵液来制酒。 This is approximately the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beginning to be made in the Middle East. Recipes have been found on clay tablets and art in Mesopotamia that show individuals using straws to drink beer from large vats and pots.
Wine was consumed in Classical Greece at breakfast or at symposia, and in the 1st century BC it was part of the diet of most Roman citizens. However, both Greeks and Romans generally consumed their wine watered (from 1 part of wine to 1 part of water, to 1 part of wine to 4 parts of water). The transformation of water into wine at a wedding feast is the first of the miracles attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, and his use of wine in the Last Supper led to it becoming an essential part of the Eucharist rite in most Christian traditions.
In Europe during the Middle Ages, beer was consumed by the whole family, thanks to a triple fermentation process — the men had the strongest, then women, then children. A document of the times mentions nuns having an allowance of six pints of ale a day. Cider and pomace wine were also widely available, while grape wine was the prerogative of the higher classes. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, wine production in Europe appears to have been sustained chiefly by monasteries.[來源請求]
By the time the Europeans reached the Americas in the 15th century, several native civilizations had developed alcoholic beverages. According to a post-Conquest Aztec document, consumption of the local "wine" (pulque) was generally restricted to religious ceremonies, but freely allowed to those over 70 years old. The natives of South America manufactured a beer-like product from cassava or maize (cauim, chicha), which had to be chewed before fermentation in order to turn the starch into sugars. (By way of note, the same technique was used in ancient Japan to make sake from rice and other starchy crops.)
The medicinal use of alcohol was mentioned in Sumerian and Egyptian texts dated from 2100 BC or earlier. The Hebrew Bible recommends giving alcoholic drinks to those who are dying or depressed, so that they can forget their misery. [來源請求]
[编辑] 蒸馏饮料
Distilled alcohol appeared first in Europe in the mid 12th century and by the early 14th century it had spread throughout Europe. It also spread eastward, mainly by the Mongols, and was practiced in China by the 14th century. However, recent archaeological evidence has supported the idea that China has had wines and distilled beverages dating back to 5000 BC. Paracelsus gave alcohol its modern name, taking it from the Arabic word which means "finely divided", a reference to distillation.
[编辑] 酒精的化學
一般都是由糖類（碳水化合物）被微生物發酵而成的。葡萄糖(糖类中结构简单的一种)是一种含有6个碳原子的有機化合物，化学式是C6O6H12，发酵生成乙醇的反应过程为：
上面仅以葡萄糖为例列出反应方程式，但实际上很多种糖类都可以经过发酵酿造酒类。由于浓的乙醇溶液可以将酵母杀死，无法继续发酵，所以经发酵酿造的酒类含乙醇浓度最高只能达10%—15%，但酒精的沸点是78.2ºC，经加热使温度超过酒精沸点而不到水的沸点，酒精蒸汽逸出，再经冷凝可得到80%—90%以上浓度的乙醇溶液，经勾兑可制造高浓度的烈酒。
[编辑] 飲用酒的用途
[编辑] 酒精饮料与健康
WHO下属的IARC将酒精饮料列为一类致癌物质，意味着有充分的证据证明酒精饮料会导致人类癌症。乙醇在体内被迅速氧化为乙醛，醉酒出现的脸红和神智不清的现象就是体内无法及时清除过量乙醛造成的。乙醛会导致人体DNA变异，对人体有很高的毒性。
