Methanol

Ancient Egyptians used a mixture of substances, including methanol, in their emblaming process. Pure methanol, however, was first isolated in 1661 by Robert Boyle. In 1834, chemists Jean-Baptiste, Dumas and Eugene Peligot called it methylene, forming it from Greek methy = "wine" + "hyle"="wood". The chemical was renamed methanol in 1892 by the International Conference on Chemical Nomenclature.