What is ethanol commonly represented as?

Ethanol is a simple alcohol that is commonly represented by its structural formula, which shows its functional groups and carbon backbone. The structural formula CH3-CH2-OH accurately depicts ethanol, consisting of a two-carbon chain (ethyl group) attached to a hydroxyl group (-OH), which is characteristic of alcohols. This structure reflects both its molecular composition and its functional characteristics, making it clear that it is an alcohol.

The other representations, while they depict various organic compounds, do not reflect ethanol. For example, CH3-CO-CH3 represents acetone (a ketone), CH3-CH2-COOH represents propanoic acid (a carboxylic acid), and CH3-CH-CH2-OH represents an isomer of propanol (which has different structural characteristics). Therefore, the structural formula CH3-CH2-OH is the correct representation of ethanol.