Denatured alcohol

Last updated

1 US gallon or 3.785 litres of denatured alcohol in a metal container Denatured alcohol.jpg
1 US gallon or 3.785 litres of denatured alcohol in a metal container

Denatured alcohol, also known as methylated spirits, metho, or meths in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and as denatured rectified spirit , is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage its recreational consumption. It is sometimes dyed so that it can be identified visually. Pyridine and methanol, [1] each and together, make denatured alcohol poisonous; and denatonium makes it bitter.

Contents

Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent and as fuel for alcohol burners and camping stoves. Because of the diversity of industrial uses for denatured alcohol, hundreds of additives and denaturing methods have been used. The main additive usually is 10% methanol (methyl alcohol), hence the name methylated spirits. Other common additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone. [1]

Denaturing alcohol does not alter the ethanol molecule (chemically or structurally), unlike denaturation in biochemistry. Rather, the ethanol is mixed with other chemicals to form a foul-tasting, often toxic, solution. For many of these solutions, it is intentionally difficult to separate the components.

Bottle of purple-dyed denatured alcohol sold in Poland Denaturat 1.jpg
Bottle of purple-dyed denatured alcohol sold in Poland

In many countries denaturated alcohol is traditionally dyed with methyl violet or similar hue (crystal violet, methylene blue) dye for safety reasons. In Central and Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland and others) this was mandatory during communist era.

Uses

In many countries, sales of alcoholic beverages are heavily taxed for revenue and public health policy purposes (see Pigovian tax). In order to avoid paying beverage taxes on alcohol that is not meant to be consumed, the alcohol is usually "denatured", or treated with added chemicals to make it unpalatable. Its composition is tightly defined by government regulations in countries that tax alcoholic beverages. Denatured alcohol is used identically to ethanol itself but only for applications that involve fuel, surgical and laboratory stock. Pure ethanol is required for food and beverage applications and certain chemical reactions where the denaturant would interfere. In molecular biology, denatured ethanol should not be used for the precipitation of nucleic acids, since the additives may interfere with downstream applications. [2]

Denatured alcohol has no advantages for any purpose over normal ethanol; it is a public policy compromise. As denatured alcohol is sold without the often heavy taxes on alcohol suitable for consumption, it is a cheaper solution for most uses that do not involve drinking. If pure ethanol were made cheaply available for fuel, solvents, or medicinal purposes, it could be used as a beverage without payment of alcohol tax. [3]

Toxicity

Despite its poisonous content, denatured alcohol is sometimes consumed as a surrogate alcohol. This can result in blindness or death if it contains methanol. For instance, during the thirteen-year prohibition of alcohol in the US, federal law required methanol be added to domestically manufactured industrial alcohols. From 25–27 December 1926, which was roughly at the midpoint of nationwide alcohol prohibition, 31 people in New York City alone died of methanol poisoning. [4] To help prevent this, denatonium is often added to give the substance an extremely bitter flavour. Substances such as pyridine are added to give the mixture an unpleasant odour, and agents such as syrup of ipecac may also be included to induce vomiting.

New Zealand has removed methanol from its government-approved "methylated spirits" formulation. [5] [6]

In the USSR, denatured alcohol was used as drinking alcohol surrogate, along with many other technical ethanol-containing products. This was especially common during various anti-alcohol campaigns initiated by the Soviet government. There is much evidence to that in both popular folklore and in literature and music. The word "denaturat" (Russian: денатурат) even gained a special symbolic meaning. Its consumption is mentioned in songs of Vladimir Vysotsky, as well as written works of Venedikt Yerofeev, Yuz Aleshkovsky, and Vyacheslav Shishkov. [7]

Formulations

Diverse additives are used to make it difficult to use distillation or other simple processes to reverse the denaturation. Methanol is commonly used both because its boiling point is close to that of ethanol and because it is toxic. Another typical denaturant is pyridine. Often the denatured alcohol is dyed with methyl violet. [8]

There are several grades of denatured alcohol, but in general the denaturants used are similar. As an example, the formulation for completely denatured alcohol, according to 2005 British regulations was as follows: [9]

Completely denatured alcohol must be made in accordance with the following formulation: with every 90 parts by volume of alcohol mix 9.5 parts by volume of wood naphtha or a substitute and 0.5 parts by volume of crude pyridine, and to the resulting mixture add mineral naphtha (petroleum oil) in the proportion of 3.75 litres to every 1000 litres of the mixture and synthetic organic dyestuff (methyl violet) in the proportion of 1.5 grams to every 1000 litres of the mixture.

The European Union agreed in February 2013 to the following mutual procedures for the complete denaturing of alcohol: [10]

Per hectolitre (100 L) of absolute ethanol: 3 litres of isopropyl alcohol, 3 litres of methyl ethyl ketone and 1 gram denatonium benzoate.

Specially denatured alcohol

A specially denatured alcohol (SDA) is one of many types of denatured alcohol specified under the United States Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 21.151. [11] A specially denatured alcohol is a combination of ethanol and another chemical substance, e.g., ethyl acetate in SDA 29, 35, and 35A, added to render the mixture unsuitable for drinking. [12] SDAs are often used in cosmetic products, and can also be used in chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and solvents. [13] Another example is SDA 40-B, which contains tert-butyl alcohol and denatonium benzoate, N.F. In the United States and other countries, the use of denatured alcohol unsuitable for beverages avoids excise taxes on alcohol. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcohol (chemistry)</span> Organic compound with at least one hydroxyl (–OH) group

In chemistry, an alcohol is a type of organic compound that carries at least one hydroxyl functional group bound to a saturated carbon atom. Alcohols range from the simple, like methanol and ethanol, to complex, like sugars and cholesterol. The presence of an OH group strongly modifies the properties of hydrocarbons, conferring hydrophilic (water-loving) properties. The OH group provides a site at which many reactions can occur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethanol</span> Organic compound (CH₃CH₂OH)

Ethanol is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OH. It is an alcohol, with its formula also written as C2H5OH, C2H6O or EtOH, where Et stands for ethyl. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a characteristic wine-like odor and pungent taste. In nature, grape-sugar breaks up by the action of fermentation into alcohol or carbonic acid, without anything being added. As a psychoactive depressant, it is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, and the second most consumed drug globally behind caffeine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methanol</span> CH3OH; simplest possible alcohol

Methanol is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the chemical formula CH3OH. It is a light, volatile, colorless and flammable liquid with a distinctive alcoholic odor similar to that of ethanol, but is more acutely toxic than the latter. Methanol acquired the name wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly by the destructive distillation of wood. Today, methanol is mainly produced industrially by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubbing alcohol</span> Alcohol used for germ protection

Rubbing alcohol is either an isopropyl alcohol or an ethanol-based liquid, with isopropyl alcohol products being the most widely available. The comparable British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is surgical spirit. Rubbing alcohol is denatured and undrinkable even if it is ethanol-based, due to the bitterants added.

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denatonium</span> Extremely bitter chemical compound

Denatonium, usually available as denatonium benzoate and as denatonium saccharide (BITTERANT-s), is the most bitter chemical compound known, with bitterness thresholds of 0.05 ppm for the benzoate and 0.01 ppm for the saccharide. It was discovered in 1958 during research on local anesthetics by T. & H. Smith of Edinburgh, Scotland, and registered under the trademark Bitrex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid fuel</span> Liquids that can be used to create energy

Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container. It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable instead of the fluid. Most liquid fuels in widespread use are derived from fossil fuels; however, there are several types, such as hydrogen fuel, ethanol, and biodiesel, which are also categorized as a liquid fuel. Many liquid fuels play a primary role in transportation and the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2-Butanol</span> Secondary alcohol

Butan-2-ol, or sec-butanol, is an organic compound with formula CH3CH(OH)CH2CH3. Its structural isomers are 1-butanol, isobutanol, and tert-butanol. 2-Butanol is chiral and thus can be obtained as either of two stereoisomers designated as (R)-(−)-butan-2-ol and (S)-(+)-butan-2-ol. It is normally encountered as a 1:1 mixture of the two stereoisomers — a racemic mixture.

Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countries, denatured alcohol or denatured rectified spirit may commonly be available as "rectified spirit", because in some countries the retail sale of rectified alcohol in its non-denatured form is prohibited.

In the liquid fuel industry, oxygenates are hydrocarbon-derived fuel additives containing at least one oxygen atom to promote complete combustion. Absent oxygenates, fuel combustion is usually incomplete, and the exhaust stream pollutes the air with carbon monoxide, soot particles, aromatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrated polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methyl isobutyl ketone</span> Chemical compound

Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK, 4-methylpentan-2-one) is an organic compound with the condensed chemical formula (CH3)2CHCH2C(O)CH3. This ketone is a colourless liquid that is used as a solvent for gums, resins, paints, varnishes, lacquers, and nitrocellulose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels</span>

The bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels can be accomplished using the MixAlco process. Through bioconversion of biomass to a mixed alcohol fuel, more energy from the biomass will end up as liquid fuels than in converting biomass to ethanol by yeast fermentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimethyl carbonate</span> Chemical compound

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is an organic compound with the formula OC(OCH3)2. It is a colourless, flammable liquid. It is classified as a carbonate ester. This compound has found use as a methylating agent and as a co-solvent in lithium-ion batteries. Notably, dimethyl carbonate is a weak methylating agent, and is not considered as a carcinogen. Instead, dimethyl carbonate is often considered to be a green reagent, and it is exempt from the restrictions placed on most volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire accelerant</span> Substance that speeds the development of fire

In fire protection, an accelerant is any substance or mixture that accelerates or speeds the development and escalation of fire. Accelerants are often used to commit arson, and some accelerants may cause an explosion. Some fire investigators use the term "accelerant" to mean any substance that initiates and promotes a fire without implying intent or malice. The accelerant works by burning rapidly. As such, the accelerant itself is consumed in the process, and should not be considered as a catalyst. In Arson investigation, the significance of accelerant is to detect the presence of a such substance in order to proved that the fire is classified as an arson.

Isopropyl alcohol is a colorless, flammable organic compound with a pungent alcoholic odor.

Denaturation is the process by which or foods or liquids are made unpleasant or dangerous to consume; it is done by adding a substance known as a denaturant. Aversive agents—primarily bitterants and pungent agents—are often used to produce an unpleasant flavor. For example, the bitterant denatonium might be added to food used in a laboratory, where such food is not intended for human consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methanol toxicity</span> Medical condition

Methanol toxicity is poisoning from methanol, characteristically via ingestion. Symptoms may include a decreased level of consciousness, poor or no coordination, vomiting, abdominal pain, and a specific smell on the breath. Decreased vision may start as early as twelve hours after exposure. Long-term outcomes may include blindness and kidney failure. Blindness may occur after drinking as little as 10 mL; death may occur after drinking quantities over 15 mL.

<i>tert</i>-Amyl ethyl ether Chemical compound

tert-Amyl ethyl ether (TAEE) is a chemical compound, classified as an ether, with the molecular formula C7H16O. It is used as an additive in gasoline fuels as an oxygenate and also as a solvent in organic chemistry.

Kolonya is a type of perfume. It is a famous product of Turkey, its country of origin. Kolonya is commonly used as a cologne, perfume, or hand sanitizer. It is sometimes used as surrogate alcohol by poor alcoholics and teenagers, usually resulting in fatal poisonings or blindness. Since 2018 Kolonya contains a bitterant agent. Cheap Kolonya or brands contain methyl alcohol which is absorbable by skin causing Methanol toxicity, safe Kolonya is denatured with isopropyl alcohol instead of methanol.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ethanol Denaturants". The Online Distillery Network. 22 November 1993.
  2. ↑ Gelling, Cristy (13 June 2012). "Which Type of Ethanol Should I Use? - Bitesize Bio". Bitesize Bio. Science Squared. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Helmenstine, Anne Marie (23 March 2018). "What Is Denatured Alcohol? Composition, Examples, and Effects". ThoughtCo . Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Blum, Deborah (19 February 2010). "The Chemist's War". Slate . Archived from the original on 6 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Gates, Charlie (14 April 2010). "Meths drinking on the increase". stuff.co.nz.
  6. ↑ "Denatured Ethanol Group Standard 2006" (PDF). Environmental Protection Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Некодифицированные спиртные напитки в поэме В. В. Ерофеева «Москва — Петушки»". Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Naim Kosaric, Zdravko Duvnjak, Adalbert Farkas, Hermann Sahm, Stephanie Bringer-Meyer, Otto Goebel and Dieter Mayer in "Ethanol" Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2011, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi : 10.1002/14356007.a09_587.pub2
  9. ↑ "The Denatured Alcohol Regulations 2005". Office of Public Sector Information. 2005.
  10. ↑ "Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 162/2013 of 21 February 2013". Official Journal of the European Union . 22 February 2013.
  11. ↑ Section. Edocket.access.gpo.gov. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
  12. ↑ What is specially denatured alcohol (SDA)? definition and meaning Archived 10 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine . Businessdictionary.com. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
  13. ↑ TTBGov Denatured Alcohol Archived 6 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine . Ttb.gov. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
  14. ↑ 2004 CFR Title 27, Volume 1 Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine . access.gpo.gov. Retrieved on 29 May 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.