![]() What Can You Substitute for Mineral Spirits?.What Can You Substitute for Denatured Alcohol?.HiFi is my hobby, biocides are my day job. Ethanol (and IPA) are excellent inactivators of enveloped viruses such as the current SARS type Coronavirus - which was my original point - and is the reason why the supply is being diverted to personal anti viral products (such as alcohol wipes). In applications where water is not tolerated (including chilled food applications) and spark risks are eliminated then ethanol is often the disinfectant of choice. It is much more likely that an acid oxidising disinfectant is found in these areas - such as Peracetic Acid. In Europe at least, QACs are rarely found as disinfectants in the food industry due to the potential residues that some consider may pose a risk to health. It is a case of horses for courses and ethanol has its part to play today (as has IPA) alongside Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs), Oxidisers and others. To respond to the other suggestion that ethanol as a disinfectant is so "19th Century". 70% has a wider spread of molecules that it can solve - but 99% will solve some compounds better than the 70% will. It is also very unlikely that using 70% IPA on a cotton bud will result in water being left behind - the IPA doesn't 'flash-off' under normal conditions. In reality, with short contact times, none of these alcohols (or mixtures) should present problems but it would be foolish to go leaving synthetic components in a bath of any of them to soak. Generally speaking, IPA is less aggressive to the synthetic materials found on tape decks etc., but it is also less effective as a solvent. It is a secondary alcohol (the simplest form of one) and has three carbons, one of which is attached to the hydroxyl group. IPA (isopropyl alcohol) is quite different. Nor, in Europe at least, is it labelled with a list of additives.ĭenatured Alcohol and Methylated Spirits are often interchangeable terms - but both are ill defined as both may contain other additives - some of which may be aggressive towards other compounds (MEK being one).īoth are polar solvents, meaning that they carry a slight charge and are able to dissolve ionic molecules. ![]() Methylated Spirits is ethanol that has been 'cut' with methanol (often around 5%)(but not always, just to confuse things, some doesn't contain Methanol). It is the number of C atoms that differentiates them - not the difference between whether they are derived from wood or grain. It is derived from methane and therefore has only a single carbon in the molecule. It is derived from ethane and therefore has two carbon atoms in the molecule It is what is often referred to as just 'alcohol' and is the alcohol in beer, wine etc. Many forms contain approximately 10 percent methanol as the additive, rather than other common alternatives such as isopropyl alcohol, denatonium, methyl isobutyl ketone, and acetone.Įthanol is a primary alcohol. ![]() ![]() Typically applied as a solvent, denatured alcohol is suitable for numerous application needs. What is a substitute for denatured alcohol? WARNING: Do not attempt to drink methylated spirits. The difference between the two alcohols is ethanol is made from grains, fruits and vegetables and methanol usually from wood stock. Is methylated spirits the same as denatured alcohol?Īlso known as denatured alcohol, methylated spirits is for the most part just plain alcohol (ethyl alcohol). When I tried to find denatured alcohol in the UK I was also advised it is Methylated spirit which is readily available, so I got some of that and some Acetone.ĭenatured alcohol, also called methylated spirit (in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) or denatured rectified spirit, is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage recreational consumption. ![]()
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