Compare the following substances: a) copper and aluminum; b) acetic acid and ethyl alcohol.

a) Copper has high thermal and electrical conductivity (it ranks second in electrical conductivity among metals after silver), copper is widely used in electrical engineering for the manufacture of power cables and wires. Copper wires, in turn, are also used in the windings of energy-saving electric drives and power transformers. For these purposes, the metal must be very clean: impurities drastically reduce electrical conductivity. The melting point of technical aluminum is 658 ° C. It is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum in this quality are lightness, pliability to stamping, corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in kitchenware, aluminum foil in the food industry, and for packaging. The first three properties made aluminum the main raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries.
The main disadvantage of aluminum as a structural material is its low strength, therefore, to strengthen it, it is usually alloyed with a small amount of copper and magnesium (the alloy is called duralumin).
b) Acetic acid, a colorless liquid with a pungent odor. Received by oxidation of acetaldehyde and other methods, food acetic acid – acetic acid fermentation of alcoholic liquids. They are used in the food industry, for the production of medicinal and aromatic substances, chloroacetic acids. And as a solvent, for example, in the production of cellulose acetate. Salts and esters of acetic acid are called. acetates.
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol, wine alcohol), a colorless liquid with a characteristic odor. It is obtained by fermentation of food raw materials, hydrolysis of plant materials and synthetically (by hydration of ethylene). It is used to obtain synthetic rubber, ethyl ether and others, as a solvent for the preparation of alcoholic beverages.