

Human: Why is alcohol so effective at killing bacteria?

Assistant: By killing bacteria, you mean making them incapable of living and reproducing?  In general, alcohol is a solvent, and in addition to that, is used to kill bacteria in antiseptics.  Its properties make it particularly effective in this role.


Human: Why is alcohol so effective at killing bacteria?

Assistant: I don’t really know that much about bacteria, but the fact that bacteria can be killed by the alcohol in your drink might be related to the fact that bacteria are single-celled organisms, and alcohol is absorbed through their membrane.  If alcohol is absorbed by the bacteria, it will poison the bacteria’s interior and kill it.
Why is alcohol so effective at killing bacteria?
By killing bacteria, you mean making them incapable of living and reproducing?  In general, alcohol is a solvent, and in addition to that, is used to kill bacteria in antiseptics.  Its properties make it particularly effective in this role.
I don’t really know that much about bacteria, but the fact that bacteria can be killed by the alcohol in your drink might be related to the fact that bacteria are single-celled organisms, and alcohol is absorbed through their membrane.  If alcohol is absorbed by the bacteria, it will poison the bacteria’s interior and kill it.