What chemical class does alcohol belong to?

Alcohol belongs to the class of organic compounds. Organic compounds are characterized by the presence of carbon and typically include a variety of substances, such as alcohols, hydrocarbons, and carbohydrates, among others. Ethanol, which is the type of alcohol commonly found in beverages, fits this classification due to its structure, which contains a hydroxyl (-OH) functional group attached to a carbon atom.

The classification as organic compounds is significant because these substances play critical roles in biological systems and interactions, including neurotransmission and metabolism in the context of neuroscience. Understanding alcohol as an organic compound helps in studying its effects on the nervous system and overall physiology, providing insights into its role as a psychoactive substance that can affect mood, behavior, and neurological functions.

Other choices, while representing various categories of biological and chemical substances, do not encompass alcohol as accurately as the classification of organic compounds does. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, carbohydrates are primarily energy sources made up of sugar molecules, and minerals are inorganic elements necessary for various biochemical functions, but none of these encompass the structure and function of alcohol.