The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word ETHANOL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
T
H
A
N
O
L
More clues leading to the result ETHANOL
- The loan is wasted getting alcohol
- Elizabethan old-timer bottles alcohol
- Fuel putting out no heat and just the first hint of light
- Fuel compared to first of oil in middle of well
- Intoxicant consumed by Gareth, an Olympian
- Intoxicant making wound not heal?
- Shabby hotel hides a new drug
- Essential to hooch, a naturally occurring liquid, primarily?
- It’s found in cocktails somewhat more than olives
- Chemical in an hotel getting sprayed
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Chemical" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case chemical = ethanol.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ETHANOL mean?
ETHANOL noun- A simple aliphatic alcohol formally derived from ethane by replacing one hydrogen atom with a hydroxyl group: CH3-CH2-OH.
- Specifically, this alcohol as a fuel.