Methanol, ball and stick molecular model. This chemical is the simplest of the alcohols, consisting of a hydroxide group (an oxygen and a hydrogen atom) attached to a methyl group (a carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms). It is used as an anti-freeze, a solvent, and a fuel. This model shows the atoms (spheres) connected by bonds (rods). The atoms are colour-coded: carbon (black), oxygen (red), and hydrogen (white).