This might be an idiotic question. I use Denatured reagent alcohol on a daily basis in the lab to kill germs etc. I always wear gloves...and I spray reagent alcohol on my gloves frequently when working with sterile cell culture since I use no antibiotics. I recently learned that denatured alcohol is 5% METHANOL! I'm kind of scared because I have gotten reagent alcohol on my skin before...never in the eyes though. But some guys in the lab wash their bare hands in reagent alcohol so maybe I am paranoid over a little methanol?
Just scared since I know methanol attacks the CNS. Should I just be very careful and make sure to never get it on me?
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08-12-2008, 01:53 PM #1
Reagent Alcohol and methanol: Danger?
Your achievements in life mean NOTHING without aesthetics
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08-12-2008, 02:27 PM #2
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08-12-2008, 02:28 PM #3
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08-12-2008, 02:39 PM #4
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08-12-2008, 10:04 PM #5
If it wasn't Bane saying this, I would definitely say don't do it. I'm still inclined to disagree, esp. if you are using it on a regular basis (i.e. you work in the lab and it's not just lab for a class). We use 70% EtOH (made from 95%) for all our tissue culture needs. Reagent alcohol is relegated strictly to other uses (peptides in our case). Anyway...he's dead on about the drinking part...
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08-13-2008, 01:06 AM #6
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08-13-2008, 01:08 AM #7
How do you use 70% ethanol that is not denatured? They have stupid rules that we have to use denatured alcohol because of idiots who drink it to get drunk apparently. Makes me mad they take something safe and add METHANOL to it just so people will die if they drink it lol
Your achievements in life mean NOTHING without aesthetics
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08-13-2008, 01:12 AM #8
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08-13-2008, 10:26 AM #9
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08-13-2008, 11:59 AM #10
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08-13-2008, 01:00 PM #11
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08-13-2008, 01:02 PM #12
A small amount of skin exposure won't do any harm, but frequent washing of hands with any concentrated alcohol solution will eventually cause drying and defatting of the skin that can be a real problem. The various alcohol emollient foams used by health care workers that are really a poor substitute for proper hand washing with soap and water are carefully blended to prevent these kinds of problems.
Speaking as a chemical health and safety professional in the Biotech industry with over 20 years' experience, that is. Don't sweat a little minor exposure, but don't make a habit of washing your hands directly with concentrated reagent alcohol.Overweight and arrogant
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08-13-2008, 01:27 PM #13
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08-13-2008, 01:28 PM #14
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08-13-2008, 01:33 PM #15
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08-13-2008, 01:56 PM #16
FYI I had always thought it was a Federal (U.S.) program, but we haven't had to have a tax-free ethanol permit for several years now. Used to have one, but not any more.
Could be a State Law in your case, and almost surely is. Different States can in fact have very different requirements when it comes to Ethanol. I do know that at least in Maryland we don't have those issues any more. I would be more aware, but in our case QA is responsible for our DEA and BATF regulatory issues, so I only know about it second-hand.Last edited by DaddyR; 08-13-2008 at 01:58 PM.
Overweight and arrogant
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08-13-2008, 02:01 PM #17
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08-13-2008, 09:48 PM #18
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****, I never wear gloves except when handling deuterated solvents and alkyl iodides (they alkylate your DNA )
It's impossible to have 100% pure EtOH; the chemical companies azeotrope out the water with benzene so you will have some residual benzene in the absolute EtOH which is a HELL of a lot worse for you than inhaling and/or transdermally absorbing MeOH (which I get the latter ALL the time).
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08-13-2008, 11:28 PM #19
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08-14-2008, 08:40 PM #20
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08-14-2008, 08:46 PM #21
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08-14-2008, 10:38 PM #22
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08-15-2008, 04:25 AM #23
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08-15-2008, 06:21 AM #24
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08-15-2008, 06:22 AM #25
I actually had a similar question a while ago, i worked as a custom cabinetmaker/woodworker on yachts in florida and doing finish work was constantly using denatured alc, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, xylene, etc. I was pretty careful to keep it off my skin but some of it, esp lacquer thinner burns like hell when you mess up and spill .. like i said i was careful but just out of curiosity how bad are these types of thinners for you transdermally?
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08-15-2008, 06:50 AM #26
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08-15-2008, 10:34 AM #27
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08-15-2008, 10:36 AM #28
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08-15-2008, 11:26 AM #29
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08-15-2008, 11:51 AM #30
Let me clarify then...
In our lab (pharmaceutical research in an academic setting), we produce our own analytical-grade ethanol by passing CaO-dried (>95%) EtOH through a column of 3A zeolite molecular sieves. We have found this to be the most cost-effective way to obtain uncontaminated absolute ethanol for our frequent (daily) analytical (GCMS/FTIR) work and animal experiments.
The assertion that only one process exists for the production of absolute ethanol, or that absolute ethanol is ubiquitously contaminated with benzene, is exceptionally sophomoric.Last edited by Catchol; 08-15-2008 at 11:57 AM.
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