SpinLover1
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From Wikipedia:
My two questions are, which is better, something called rectified spirits (never heard of this)? Or the ethanol that my brother uses to preserve specimens in his biology lab, which is now used instead of carcinogenic formaldehyde, and is so pure that he claims you can drink it?
Grades of ethanol
[edit] Denatured alcohol
Main article: Denatured alcohol
Pure ethanol and alcoholic beverages are heavily taxed, but ethanol has many uses that do not involve consumption by humans. To relieve the tax burden on these uses, most jurisdictions waive the tax when an agent has been added to the ethanol to render it unfit to drink. These include bittering agents such as denatonium benzoate and toxins such as methanol, naphtha, and pyridine. Products of this kind are called denatured alcohol.[41][42]
[edit] Absolute ethanol
Absolute or anhydrous alcohol refers to ethanol with a low water content. There are various grades with maximum water contents ranging from 1% to ppm levels. Absolute alcohol is not intended for human consumption. If azeotropic distillation is used to remove water, it will contain trace amounts of the material separation agent (e.g. benzene).[43] Absolute ethanol is used as a solvent for laboratory and industrial applications, where water will react with other chemicals, and as fuel alcohol. Spectroscopic ethanol is an absolute ethanol with a low absorbance in ultraviolet and visible light, fit for use as a solvent in ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.[44]
Pure ethanol is classed as 200 proof in the USA, equivalent to 175 degrees proof in the UK system.[45]
[edit] Rectified spirits
Rectified spirit, an azeotropic composition containing 4% water, is used instead of anhydrous ethanol for various purposes. Wine spirits are about 188 proof. The impurities are different from those in 190 proof laboratory ethanol.[46]
My two questions are, which is better, something called rectified spirits (never heard of this)? Or the ethanol that my brother uses to preserve specimens in his biology lab, which is now used instead of carcinogenic formaldehyde, and is so pure that he claims you can drink it?
Grades of ethanol
[edit] Denatured alcohol
Main article: Denatured alcohol
Pure ethanol and alcoholic beverages are heavily taxed, but ethanol has many uses that do not involve consumption by humans. To relieve the tax burden on these uses, most jurisdictions waive the tax when an agent has been added to the ethanol to render it unfit to drink. These include bittering agents such as denatonium benzoate and toxins such as methanol, naphtha, and pyridine. Products of this kind are called denatured alcohol.[41][42]
[edit] Absolute ethanol
Absolute or anhydrous alcohol refers to ethanol with a low water content. There are various grades with maximum water contents ranging from 1% to ppm levels. Absolute alcohol is not intended for human consumption. If azeotropic distillation is used to remove water, it will contain trace amounts of the material separation agent (e.g. benzene).[43] Absolute ethanol is used as a solvent for laboratory and industrial applications, where water will react with other chemicals, and as fuel alcohol. Spectroscopic ethanol is an absolute ethanol with a low absorbance in ultraviolet and visible light, fit for use as a solvent in ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.[44]
Pure ethanol is classed as 200 proof in the USA, equivalent to 175 degrees proof in the UK system.[45]
[edit] Rectified spirits
Rectified spirit, an azeotropic composition containing 4% water, is used instead of anhydrous ethanol for various purposes. Wine spirits are about 188 proof. The impurities are different from those in 190 proof laboratory ethanol.[46]
