How to check vodka for methyl. How to check ethyl or methyl alcohol: differences. How to tell the difference between ethyl alcohol

Alcohol is the main ingredient in almost all alcoholic beverages. But in order to end up with high-quality, tasty, and most importantly safe products, you need to choose the right alcohol.

Alcohol can be of two types: ethyl and methyl. Which one can be drunk or eaten, and what color they burn, we will tell below.

Ethyl or ethanol

There are two types of ethyl alcohol: food and medical. It is suitable for human consumption, however, before that it must be diluted with water, otherwise, due to the high concentration of alcohol, you can get serious burns of the digestive tract and mouth.

Without special manipulations, it is impossible to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol "by eye". Both liquids are transparent, with a characteristic odor, and the same density. True, methyl has a neutral aroma, which is rather weak and is felt only when "sniffing", while ethanol vapors are sharper and shibut in the nose.

This product is obtained by distilling the wort, which has previously passed the fermentation stage. You can also get it yourself at home, however, for this you need to use a special distillate - a moonshine still.

Reference. Homemade moonshine made from quality raw materials and in accordance with technological rules is in no way inferior in quality to industrial alcohol.

But it should be understood that with prolonged use of this ethyl product in large quantities, alcohol dependence may appear. Therefore, all drinks prepared on its basis should be consumed in small quantities.

Methyl or methanol

Methyl or technical alcohol, which is popularly simply called methanol Is an industrial product, it cannot be used in food in any form. This liquid is obtained from legnin, formic alcohol and wood.

This product is used to make solvents and formaldehyde. When working with such a substance, you should definitely follow safety precautions, since methanol has a strong and pungent aroma, and can also cause severe burns to the epidermis.

Reference. Technical alcohol is absorbed into the body much more slowly than ethanol, it destroys the nervous system, causes severe poisoning, and also impairs vision.

That is why it is very important to use the right product when making your own alcohol-based alcoholic beverages.

When buying alcoholic beverages in stores with a proven track record, the risk of poisoning with a "fired" product is significantly reduced. Most often, drinks with methyl alcohol are sold in stalls, stalls, by hand, at unauthorized points of sale and drinking, as well as near train stations.

How to identify a species?

However, in order to independently determine what kind of alcohol is presented, it is not at all necessary to carry its samples to the laboratory. There are several simple ways to determine the type of alcohol:

  1. All that is needed is to set fire to the liquid. You can pour a small amount into any container, or you can simply moisten the edge of a cotton swab and bring it to a fire source. This method does not require the use of any special tools, and the diagnostic result is instant. Ethyl alcohol always burns only with a blue fire, but the flame of methanol is green. But this rule works only for methyl alcohol without unnecessary impurities.
  2. There is also the so-called potato test. A small root vegetable is thoroughly cleaned and washed, then cut into two parts and both are placed in a jar. Pour potatoes with alcohol and leave for 2 -5 hours. If, after this period, the water has not turned pink, it means that ethyl alcohol, and in the future it can be used.
  3. You can add a small amount of baking soda to a container of alcohol. If there is ethanol in the container, then the soda will turn yellow and settle at the bottom of the container. If the alcohol is methyl, then it will completely dissolve.
  4. Alcohol is slightly warmed up and a couple of granules of ordinary potassium permanganate are added to it.If the liquid is of high quality, then no changes will occur. If methanol was heated, then when potassium permanganate gets into it, it will begin to fizzle and bubble strongly.
  5. If you have a good industrial thermometer at hand, then a small amount of liquid can simply be heated in a metal container. The moment it starts to boil and its temperature should be measured. Ethanol boils at 80 degrees, and methyl alcohol begins to boil at 60 degrees.
  6. Lang's test or liquid discoloration.To do this, the test liquid is heated to 18 degrees in a small container. Manganese infusion is immediately poured here and everything is removed from the heat. Now you need to measure the time it will take for the liquid to turn from dark crimson to light pink. The longer this process takes place, the better the quality of the investigated liquid. The best option is considered to be 10 - 20 minutes. For such a sample, 50 g of alcohol, 2 g of water and 0.2 mg of potassium permanganate are required.
  7. The simplest but most reliable is the so-called formaldehyde study. All that is needed is to heat the copper wire over high heat and lower it into a container of liquid. After 15 seconds, the copper is removed and sniffed. The more pronounced the aroma of formaldehyde, the lower-quality alcohol, which means that you should never drink it.

Attention! When buying alcohol in random places or, even more so, having received a homemade product as a gift, smell it before drinking. If the smell seems too harsh, somehow unusual, do not be lazy to conduct a home examination to prevent severe poisoning.

Poisoning symptoms and first aid

If methanol was nevertheless used, then this will be evidenced by:

  • flickering before the eyes and reduced visibility;
  • severe headache and dizziness;
  • severe cutting cramps in the stomach;
  • nausea and vomiting.

A person can also poorly navigate in space and lose consciousness. In such cases, you need to immediately provide first aid:

  1. Call an ambulance and explain that the victim has severe methanol poisoning.
  2. It is necessary to drink a person with a soda solution. The volume of liquid you drink should not be less than 1500 ml.
  3. It is necessary to cleanse the intestines. To do this, first induce vomiting, and then give an enema.

For intoxication and neutralization of methanol, the victim is allowed to drink 50 ml of slightly diluted ethanol every three hours. But do not self-medicate at home. Only a medical institution can assess the degree of poisoning and provide the correct assistance.

Poisoning with ethyl alcohol

You can also get poisoned with ethyl alcohol if you exceed the permissible dose. The amount of alcohol that has entered the bloodstream is measured in ppm (‰) - a conventional unit that means 1/10 of a percent of alcohol per 1 liter of blood.


First aid for poisoning with ethyl alcohol (hangover)

If a drunken person is sick, it is necessary to give him the opportunity to empty his stomach properly, while if he is able to drink water, it should be offered in sufficient quantities. The more alcohol the body expels from itself at this stage, the better. It is important to ensure that the person does not choke on drink or vomit. The next morning after the "victim" sleeps, he will need:

  1. On a tablet of acetylsalicylic acid and analgin (or aspirin + citramon) to relieve headaches.
  2. Activated carbon, enterosgel or other sorbents.
  3. Drinking plenty of water - mineral water, compote, sweet drinks save well, since during "libations" the body loses glucose.
  4. If there is a urge to vomit, you can induce it artificially by drinking a glass of clean water before.
  5. Refreshing shower, airing the room, taking an easy walk.
  6. Chicken broth, soup, some oatmeal, herbs, or a raw egg will kickstart your stomach and help you recover faster.

Heavy physical activity, exposure to contrasting temperatures, heavy food should be avoided and you should not "hangover".

Video: how to check the quality of alcohol at home?

If there is any doubt about the alcoholic liquid you are buying, it is better to do several studies at the same time to determine its quality. Watch a video that uses the Lang method - one of the simple ways you can check the quality of alcohol at home:

How to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol?

    A terrible dilemma, in fact. More precisely, it is very scary to make a mistake in the end. After all, methanol is the most terrible poison, a lethal dose is considered from 30 to 100 ml. Otherwise, a person can survive, but at the same time he will lose his sight.

    Therefore, take the following information seriously:

    Ethanol burns blue when ignited, methanol - green flame.

    If you throw a piece of potato into a glass of alcohol, then after a few hours it can either turn pink - then it is methanol, or remain in the same color - respectively, in front of you is ethanol.

    For amateur chemists: take a copper wire, heat it up, dip it into a glass of alcohol. If you have methanol, the smell will be extremely unpleasant, but if you have ethanol, then there will be no smell, or you will smell a slight apple aroma.

    Methyl alcohol is similar in taste, color, smell to ethyl alcohol, but

    you can distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol

    at hand

    • set fire to alcohol, the one that burns with a blue flame is most likely ethanol, since methanol burns green.
    • make a sample with potatoes... A piece of raw potato should be placed in alcohol. If it turns pink after a few hours, it's methanol. In ethanol, potatoes do not change color.
    • can soak a cotton swab in both liquids and set it on fire in turn. A formaldehyde smell will indicate methanol.

    But the most reliable way is to heat a copper wire over a fire by dropping it into a vessel with liquid... Methyl alcohol will give off a strong, unpleasant smell of formaldehyde. If there is ethanol in the vessel, there will be no odors.

    The most effective and fastest way to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol. Pour the test liquid into a glass, take a small piece of copper wire, 0.5-1 mm. Heat this wire in a candle or gas burner flame, and quickly lower it into a glass. By reacting with alcohol, hot copper will release a certain gas from the alcohol. Its composition is not important to us. Its smell is important.

    If the vapors from the glass have a sour (acidic) smell, then it was ethyl alcohol. And if the smell of formaldehyde, that is, the frank smell of a morgue, then there was methyl alcohol in the glass. This method has been personally tested, so I recommend it. Especially now, when the counters of even brand stores are filled with fake alcohol.

    If you drink low-quality ethyl alcohol, then the poisoning can be severe, but if you use methanol, then there is very little chance of surviving.

    First of all, ethyl alcohol differs from methyl alcohol in taste, ethyl alcohol, I think everyone has tried alcohol as alcohol, but methyl alcohol tastes like a chemical solution, the taste is very sharp and almost medicinal, but I would not advise you to try it is harmful to the liver, better smell both ethyl solutions alcohol smells like alcohol, but methyl chemistry is very strong.

    To identify the type of alcohol, the first thing you should do is set fire to a small amount of alcohol. Methanol has a green tint when burning, while ethanol has a blue flame.

    It is also fashionable to use a piece of ordinary white to distinguish it, which, after lying in methyl alcohol for an hour, will take on a cracked shade.

    It is almost impossible to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol at home. The hot wire method and the formaldehyde smell is good for chemists. Ethanol with this method will give off the smell of acetone, while not very different from formaldehyde.

    A more effective way to set fire to paper soaked in alcohol and watch the color of the flame. Pure ethyl alcohol will burn in the first seconds with a blue flame, methanol will burn green.

    By means of the usual lighting in a spoon. Ethyl (drinking) alcohol burns with a hay-blue flame. Methanol burns with a greenish flame.

    By immersion in an unknown environment of peeled potato plastic. After an hour in methanol, the potato will turn pink, but ethyl alcohol will remain the same color.

    By formaldehyde test. Heat a piece of copper wire over a fire and release it into alcohol. If it smells like apples, you can drink it. If it smells like a morgue (formaldehyde), you can't drink.

    The most correct thing is to hand over a sample for chemical analysis, if possible. In any case, do not use inside if there is any doubt.

    There is a test with potatoes - a slice of potatoes, left for several hours, acquires a pink tint in methyl alcohol, does not change in ethyl alcohol ...

    You can also heat the copper wire over a fire and dip it into the sample. Ethyl alcohol does not give a new smell, and methyl alcohol gives a pungent unpleasant odor.

    Ethyl alcohol can be distinguished from methyl alcohol by its smell. Methyl alcohol has a pronounced unpleasant odor. and ethyl, simply, smells like alcohol. Just to be able to distinguish in this way, you need not drink alcohol at all. If you drink alcohol, then it will be difficult to distinguish.

    In addition, to distinguish between ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol, just put in a piece. If the onion turns green after half an hour, then it is methyl alcohol.

On almost any occasion, there is a tradition to raise a toast and drink on a specific occasion. However, alcohol is an expensive pleasure, so many people want to save on it and buy something cheaper.

There is a huge group of alcohols as chemical compounds. Drinking is considered only ethanol (dimethyl or ethyl alcohol), the formula of which is C2H5OH. It is less toxic, therefore it is used in drinks. It happens that in cheap alcoholic drinks - for example, vodka or cognac - methyl (woody) is used instead of ethyl, which is extremely poisonous even in the smallest concentrations.

General characteristics of alcohols

To poisoning did not happen, it is important to know how to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol. It is worth understanding what is the difference between them at the chemical level.

Alcohols are a class of chemical compounds that are classified as organic substances. One or more OH groups are present in their molecule. They also differ in the number of CH3 groups. So the formula is:

  • Methyl - CH3-OH;
  • Ethyl - CH3-CH2-OH;
  • Propyl - CH3-CH2-CH2-OH and so on.

All representatives of this class are liquids from transparent to oily color. The more OH groups, the higher the water solubility. Flammable. Flame of different colors, since the combustion temperature is different.

To know how to determine methyl alcohol in alcohol, it is important to understand another important point: you can distinguish alcohols if there is only one type of substance in the product. To distinguish and separate the mixture requires chemical glassware, reagents and laboratory conditions.

Methods for the determination of methanol

The definition of methanol alcohol was proposed by Georgy Fedorovich Lang. There are several ways to check for ethyl or methyl alcohol:

  • Using potatoes;
  • Formaldehyde method;
  • With iodine;
  • Using baking soda;
  • With the help of potassium permanganate;
  • By the color of the flame.

Potato check

For the experiment, you need to take a raw potato tuber. To determine the option, it is enough to take one small slice. The test liquid should be poured into a cup or saucer and a piece of potato should be thrown there. After two to three hours, check: if the alcohol is methyl, then the potato will acquire a pinkish tint. There will be no changes in ethyl alcohol. Minutes of the way - good vision is necessary, because changes can be minor. But, thanks to this method methanol can be determined if it is in a mixture (called proto-alcohol or moonshine). True, the color intensity will be much weaker.

Reaction with copper

Testing will require copper wire and a fire source. Before the experiment, the wire must be cleaned with a knife or sandpaper, as there will be an oxide film on the surface, which prevents the reaction. Heat the cleaned area and immediately dip it into the tested liquid. It will react with methanol to produce a pungent, unpleasant odor similar to nail polish remover. In ethanol, the smell will be weaker and more apple-like. The larger the piece of wire, the more noticeable the smell and, more precisely, the experience will be.

Iodine check

A small amount of iodine (5-10 drops, depending on the amount of the tested liquid) must be dropped into alcohol. If it is methanol, the iodine will completely dissolve and discolor. In reaction with ethanol, a yellow precipitate will precipitate in the form of flakes on the bottom of the container.

Reaction with baking soda

The experience is almost the same as with iodine. When soda is added to methanol, it dissolves completely. Ethyl alcohol does not completely dissolve the soda, so the solution becomes cloudy.

Reaction with potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate is available over the counter. If you add this substance to methanol, gas will be actively released, as when opening a bottle of lemonade. Gas evolution does not occur with ethanol, so there will be no such effect.

Flame color

Concentrated alcohol is a highly flammable liquid with a high flame temperature. For analysis, it is worth taking a small amount of liquid, no more than a teaspoon, and pouring it into a wide saucer. Set the surface on fire from a match (do not use a lighter). Methanol burns with a greenish flame, while ethanol burns blue.

This method has one more drawback - only concentrated liquids can be determined this way. Water solutions at a concentration below 75% practically do not burn or burn with a yellow tint, because water lowers the flame temperature. The definition becomes impossible.

For any method, a small amount of alcohol must be poured from the bulk of the liquid, since after the experiment, an admixture of reaction products may appear in the solution, which makes the entire solution unusable.

If there is a suspicion that the wine is technical, then you should not even try this liquid. Stop drinking or use a different drink option. One teaspoon is enough to get complete blindness for life. Large concentrations lead to death. In 100% of cases of wood alcohol poisoning, a person either receives a disability and serious brain damage, or dies, and it is impossible to save him.

Ethyl and methyl alcohol are two representatives of the organic group of substances. But they differ from each other significantly. Ethyl alcohol (in other words - ethanol) in small quantities is not poisonous, it stimulates the nervous system. Its systematic use in large doses causes alcoholism. Methanol is a powerful poison. 30 g of this agent affects human vision. Drinking it in the range from 30 to 100 ml causes death. It is almost impossible to distinguish these liquids by their appearance. They are colorless and have a characteristic alcoholic smell. But there are many ways to tell the difference between ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol at home. Alcohol can be set on fire. Ethanol burns with a blue flame, but the flame of methanol is green.

Another fairly reliable method is formaldehyde test. It is necessary to heat the coiled copper wire over the fire until a black coating appears and quickly dip it into the liquid. When oxidized, methanol gives off a pungent unpleasant odor of the formed formaldehyde. Ethanol in this case is also oxidized to acetaldehyde. But at the same time, there is a pleasant apple aroma. Similar odors appear if a little potassium permanganate is added to the test liquids and set on fire. The difference between methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol is that it boils at a lower temperature than ethyl alcohol. Therefore, an easy way is to put them on the stove or burner at the same time and use a thermometer. Methyl alcohol will boil at 640 C, and the boiling point of ethanol is 780 C.

Ethyl alcohol dissolves well in water and has a disinfecting effect, and therefore has received widespread use in medicine. It is used to prepare alcoholic beverages. But history counts a large number of poisonings associated with the fact that methanol was used instead of ethyl alcohol. Therefore, it is necessary to know how to determine ethyl alcohol and not to confuse it with other representatives of the class. Another distinctive way is to throw several crystals of potassium permanganate into both liquids. Bubbles of the poisonous gas formaldehyde will begin to actively evolve in the container with methanol. Ethanol does not form such bubbles, but the smell of vinegar appears.

Methanol is found in antifreeze liquid for cleaning car windows and is used as a solvent. There have been cases of mass poisoning of people in many countries by counterfeit alcohol containing technical alcohol. Once in the human body, it decomposes to a very toxic formaldehyde. There is a way to determine methyl alcohol using peeled raw potatoes. In methanol, potatoes acquire a pink color, while this is not observed when interacting with ethanol. All of the above methods make it possible to easily and effectively distinguish between toxic and non-toxic liquid. But the fact is that they are relevant only for separately taken concentrated liquids. But if there is a mixture of ethanol with methanol in the container, then it will be more difficult to determine. Therefore, you should not use liquid as a drink, if it is not known for certain about its origin.

Alcohol is harmful to the body. However, some of its varieties are fatal even with a single use. In order for the error not to become fatal, you need to know how to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol and be able to apply this knowledge in practice.

Ethanol

Ethanol, according to the latest rewritten version of GOST, is a colorless liquid, flammable, with a characteristic odor.

This alcohol is obtained in two ways:

  1. Microbiological - this subspecies is obtained by natural fermentation of carbohydrate products under the influence of yeast. It turns out a liquid with 15% content, then it is concentrated. The ethyl alcohol content in the finished product is about 96.6%. The rest of the ingredients are impurities and water. It is divided into classes depending on impurities and is added to vodka of different price categories:
    • 1st grade;
    • grade of the highest purification;
    • basis;
    • extra;
    • suite;
    • alpha.
  1. Synthetic.

It is produced chemically, thanks to the hydration of ethylene. Phosphoric or sulfuric acid is used as a catalyst.

Application

Ethyl alcohol is successfully used in the food, pharmacological and medical industries.

Fuel industry. It is used in its pure form as a fuel for internal combustion engines and rocket engines.

Chemical industry.

  • Various chemical components are obtained from ethyl alcohol: acetic acid, chloroform, acetaldehyde, etc.
  • It is a solvent. It is used as part of household chemicals, painting materials, windshield wipers, etc.
  • It is added to cleaning products, detergents.

Medical industry.

  • It is used in its pure form for asepsis and antisepsis.
  • It is used in the manufacture of tinctures, extracts.
  • The main component of warming compresses.
  • Antidote for methyl intoxication.

Cosmetic industry. It is one of the components in drying agents, cleansing foams, creams, scrubs. The main component of perfume, cologne.

Food industry. A component of wine and vodka products, contained in small percentages in kefir, kvass. Used in baked goods to preserve the product. Registered as a food additive E1510.

Ethyl alcohol is widely used in many industries, at a small dose it is quite harmless than its methyl counterpart.

Methyl alcohol

Methanol is a colorless, poisonous liquid. Explosive when mixed with air. Drinking about 30 ml in its pure form leads to painful death.

It is not used in food production, but it is added to combustible mixtures, solvents.

Application

It is widely used in some industries due to its flammability properties.

Applicable:

  • In the gas industry.
  • As part of formaldehyde.
  • For refueling some cars and racing bikes.
  • In some countries it is allowed as an additive in perfumery products.

There are no ways how to determine methyl alcohol and to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol by external signs. Both liquids have a similar odor, colorless - a mistake can become fatal.

In its pure form, it is not recommended to use either one or the other alcohol, but if ethanol causes severe intoxication, then methanol in its consequences is more merciless. At best, in case of poisoning, a person completely loses his sight, at worst - dies.

How to tell methanol from ethanol?

There is a difference between the two types of alcohol, and it is quite possible to check the presence of one or another product at home. The choice for the right product can be made in the store.

It is worth taking a closer look at the following signs:

  • the presence of a quality mark on the bottle;
  • manufacturer's address, all its coordinates;
  • no visible damage;
  • the label is glued evenly;
  • there are no typos or mistakes in the product description and name.

Counterfeit bottles are found in different price segments, especially if vodka has been on the market for several years. To protect yourself, it is not recommended to buy goods in stalls and tents that are not eligible to sell alcohol. If the seller breaks the law, he is unlikely to have product certificates.

How to determine methanol and ethanol in alcohol?

Ethyl and methyl alcohol have no external differences, but there are homemade methods to help you figure it out.

  1. Set fire to vodka glass. If the product contains ethanol, the flame will be bluish, if the methanol is green.
  2. A less effective way is to use cut potatoes to check. If the liquid that gets on it contains methyl alcohol, the vegetable will turn pink. This is due to the reaction of starch with methanol.
  3. For the third method, you will need to dilute the concentrated liquid of potassium permanganate. It does not give any reaction to ethyl alcohol, but from the reaction with methyl alcohol it will begin to fizzle and foam. It is strictly forbidden to consume such vodka and is dangerous to health.

Three methods are enough to determine the poisonous liquid in alcohol. For a more accurate check, they can be combined. If at least one of the tested options gave a positive result, it is not recommended to consume such alcoholic products.

How to distinguish pure methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol?

Sometimes you have to distinguish methyl alcohol at home. For these purposes, there are two long-proven methods that help to accurately see the difference and protect your health. How to check pure alcohol?

1 way.

The liquid must be poured into an enamel bowl and heated with a boiler or on the stove. If the tested liquid has a boiling point of 64 degrees, the liquid is dangerous. Ethanol boils at 78 degrees Celsius.

Method 2.

Copper wire is required for this test. It must be heated over fire until red and lowered into liquid. If the tested alcohol starts to exude a pungent, unpleasant smell, it is methanol. Ethyl alcohol will have a slight apple flavor.

In the case when the question of life and death is being decided, it will absolutely not be superfluous to be vigilant and double-check the liquid for the presence of poisons present in it. To make sure of the correctness of the choice, it is better to conduct several of the described checks at once. It is important to remember that the seller must have quality certificates for each alcoholic product, which he must present upon first request. If they are not there, it is better to refuse the purchase.

The most important distinguishing feature of these two types of alcohols is the time after which damage occurs. Methanol kills quickly, ethyl alcohol - slowly affects the body's systems and is also destructive. You should stop using both alcohols to preserve life and health.



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