How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol at home. singed whiskey

One of the most terrible alcohol poisoning is the use of methyl (technical) alcohol instead of ethyl (food) or medical. Even a small dose can be fatal. I will tell you how to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol. After the events in the Czech Republic, where thousands of people suffered from fake alcohol containing methanol, this information became vital.

The problem is that technical alcohol does not differ in taste, smell and color from food alcohol. It is this feature that causes poisoning. Usually methanol is found in solvents, antifreeze liquids and other household chemicals that are not intended for ingestion, but due to various circumstances it can be sold under the guise of drinking.

Methods for determining technical alcohol

1. Origin. Buy alcohol in trusted stores, where the risk of becoming a victim of a fake is much lower than at dubious points of sale (stalls, moonshiners, etc.).

Drink and dilute pure alcohol only from well-known sources. If it is the products of distilleries or medical alcohol, there will be no problems, in all other cases the risk of accidentally drinking methanol increases many times over.

2. Ignition. This is one of the easiest ways to check. The liquid is set on fire and the color of the fire is monitored. Ethanol burns with a blue flame, technical alcohol with a green one.

3. Potato check. A small slice of raw potatoes is thrown into a container with alcohol for several hours. If the potato has not changed its color, then you have pure food alcohol that you can drink. In methanol, potatoes usually take on a pink hue.

4. Formaldehyde test. It is considered one of the most reliable methods. Copper wire is heated on fire, then immersed in a liquid. If there is a sharp unpleasant odor, you can not drink alcohol, it is methanol. Ordinary ethanol, when immersed in hot copper wire, does not emit odor.

Symptoms of technical alcohol poisoning:

• severe headache;
• labored breathing;
• general malaise;
• pain in the abdomen and lower back;
• vomit;
• lethargy.

All these signs are also similar to ordinary alcohol poisoning, so they are often confused. But in the case of methyl poisoning, the consequences are much more serious. Methanol quickly destroys the visual, nervous and vascular systems. For severe poisoning, 5-10 ml of methanol is enough, and 30 ml causes death.

If a person becomes ill after drinking alcohol, doctors recommend immediately calling an ambulance, and not hoping that everything will go away by itself.

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The question of how to distinguish technical methyl alcohol from medical ethyl alcohol is, without exaggeration, vital. History knows cases of massive severe methanol poisoning when using counterfeit alcoholic beverages with a fatal outcome, because it is the strongest poison. Despite the absence of external and taste differences, methanol can be recognized by special tests and poisoning can be avoided.

The composition of medical alcohol (ethyl)

Ethyl alcohol can be consumed orally in a diluted form, it is an organic substance consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is a simple monohydric alcohol, that is, with one OH hydroxyl group, its chemical formula is CH 3 CH 2 OH.

In terms of physical properties, ethanol is a colorless transparent liquid with a characteristic pungent odor and a burning taste, lighter than water, with a density of 0.7893 g / cm 3 (1 liter of ethyl alcohol \u003d 789 grams by weight), a boiling point of 78.39 ° C. It dissolves well in water, attaching its molecules to itself, easily mixes with many substances, entering into chemical reactions with them, which makes it a solvent of organic substances, including fats.

Ethanol finds application in chemical production, is used as rocket fuel, and is widely used in medicine, food, perfumery and cosmetics industry, and in everyday life. According to the effect on the body, ethyl alcohol (ethanol, wine alcohol, medical alcohol) qualifies as a drug, and its decay products are moderately toxic to all organs.

Alcohol is highly flammable, flammable in the presence of oxygen and burns with a blue flame. Volatility is also characteristic - a high ability to evaporate if it is stored in leaky containers. Its vapors mixed with oxygen are an explosive mixture.

Composition and properties of methanol

Methyl alcohol (methanol, wood alcohol, methyl hydrate) is the simplest monohydric alcohol, its formula is CH 3 OH. Refers to chemical contaminants - potent active substances that pose a threat to the body. External signs of methanol - a clear, colorless liquid that has the smell of alcohol, but is weaker, and has a pungent taste.

In terms of physical properties, it differs little from ethyl alcohol, has the same specific gravity, mixes well with water, is very volatile, but already boils at a temperature of 60 ° C. Its chemical properties are distinguished by high activity and the ability to form toxic compounds, and when decomposed in the body, release a very toxic substance - formaldehyde.

In Russia, it is forbidden to use methanol in household chemicals, in the perfumery and cosmetics industry due to its high toxicity, which exceeds ethyl alcohol by several hundred times.

Methanol is widely used in various industries as a fuel, a solvent, for the synthesis of various substances (formalin, formic acid), in gas production, and for the manufacture of denatured alcohol.

How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl

Ethyl and methyl alcohol have an identical appearance, and on this basis they cannot be distinguished. The different intensity of the alcohol smell also does not guarantee that they can be distinguished. In alcoholic beverages, especially counterfeit ones, various impurities and flavorings are often added, which are an obstacle to distinguishing the smell, and it is impossible to focus on it.

The differences between methanol and ethanol are significant in terms of chemical properties, and this allows you to determine what is contained in an alcoholic beverage. The laboratory method is the most accurate, but There are simple physical and chemical tests that can be used at home:

• Ignition method: moisten a cotton swab with medical alcohol, the other with methyl alcohol, set it on fire on a saucer and compare the color of the flame, methyl alcohol will burn in color not pure blue, but with a greenish tint.
• Boil method: put the liquid on the stove in a small container, do not lower the thermometer, methanol boils at 60 ° C, ethyl alcohol at 79 ° C.
• Wire Definition: lower the red-hot copper wire into the liquid under study, the reaction with methyl alcohol is accompanied by a pungent unpleasant smell of formalin, this does not happen with ethanol.
• potato sample: a plate of peeled potatoes is placed in a container with alcohol for 2-3 hours. The pinkish color of the potato indicates the presence of methyl alcohol.
• Manganese test: add potassium permanganate at the tip of a knife to a glass with a drink. Rapid evolution of gas bubbles indicates the presence of methyl alcohol. If the drink contains ordinary drinking alcohol, gas will not be released, but a vinegary smell will appear.

All of these home methods are good as long as the container contains pure alcohol, but for drinks, the alcohol content ranges from 10 to 45 °, and all of the tests listed may not be so pronounced as to be sure of their safety.

It is more reliable to purchase alcoholic beverages in trusted, high-rated markets, whose products are subject to regular control. And in order to have reliable information about the seller of the drink, the Russian Federal Service for Regulation of the Alcoholic Beverages Market has developed and released a free Anti-Counterfeit Alco application for mobile phones.

This is a program that contains all the information about legal sellers of alcohol with a license. In fact, it scans all excise stamps. Other similar applications are the Alcohol Scanner and EGAIS checking checks that scan product QR codes and excise stamps. They can be found and downloaded through the GooglePlay app.

Lethal doses of both types of alcohol

Ethyl or medical alcohol is a psychotropic substance that has a depressing effect on the central nervous system. The products of its decay are toxic substances - acetaldehyde and acetic acid. A lethal outcome can occur with an overdose both from the first exposure to directly pure alcohol, and from the toxic effect of its decay products.

The lethal dose may vary, depending on the state of the nervous and cardiovascular systems., the quality of the neutralizing function of the liver and the excretory function of the kidneys. That is, in unhealthy people, it can be half as much. The average value for adults is 5 or more ppm, for children 3-4, for adolescents 4-4.8, where a ppm unit means the amount of pure alcohol in 1 liter of blood.

As for methyl alcohol, it does not so much cause intoxication as a toxic effect prevails, because its decay products are formaldehyde and formic acid - deadly poisons for the body. For an adult, taking about 10 ml causes dangerous poisoning, and death can occur if 80 or more ml of ethanol is drunk, that is, 1-2 ml per 1 kg of weight. This amount may also vary, depending on the state of health.

Is it possible to use ethanol and methanol

It so happened that ethyl alcohol in the composition of various drinks has been used by mankind since the Neolithic period to the present day. Doctors note the beneficial properties of small amounts of alcohol for the prevention of atherosclerosis, stimulation of the immune system. Many medical preparations are prepared on alcohol - tinctures, extracts, extracts.

Medicine does not know cases of death from rare and moderate alcohol consumption. Addiction to alcohol inevitably leads to the destruction of health and death. So it's just a matter of dose. In its pure form, medical alcohol (ethyl), if necessary, it is permissible to use in small quantities, but always diluted by half with water, so as not to cause burns to the mucous membranes.

Methyl alcohol is the most dangerous poison, its use is unacceptable- neither in its pure form, nor as part of denatured alcohol or other liquids. Medical drinking alcohol is freely available in the pharmacy and distribution network, but methyl alcohol and products containing it are not produced for free sale to the public.

The level of deaths from the use of "scorched" alcohol remains consistently high, in connection with this, the question of the quality of alcoholic beverages is acute. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty of distinguishing between medical and industrial alcohols. Both of them have identical external features. It is possible to find out where the liquid is usable and where the poison is with the help of expertise or special experiments.

Comparison of ethyl and methyl alcohol

Ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol, is known in everyday life as food or medical. In small doses, it is allowed to take it inside. Ethanol acts on the human body by stimulating the central nervous system. When it is used, hormones are synthesized that inhibit the functioning of the brain. The use of ethanol and products containing it in excessive doses threatens with severe poisoning. From excessively frequent use of ethanol, addiction usually develops, which is not easy to overcome.

In addition to the alcohol industry, ethanol is widely used in the production of other substances, including:

• paint and varnish products;
• cosmetics;
• household cleaners;
• medicines and other medical products;
• fuel substitutes.

Speaking about methyl alcohol (carbinol), first of all, it should be noted that this is a very dangerous poisonous substance, which is strictly forbidden to drink. Ingestion of 10 ml of methanol leads to severe poisoning with unpleasant consequences up to irreversible loss of vision. A dose of 80 milliliters and above is the cause of death, in some cases - instantaneous.

In production, it is used for:

• synthesis of artificial silks;
• in the production of glass products and organic dyes;
• in the production of solvents and other technical compositions.

The use of methanol for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages in our country and a number of other states is strictly prohibited, this is followed by criminal liability. But it happens that unscrupulous manufacturers neglect this rule and make strong drinks based on methanol. The result is the fact that about two-thirds of deaths due to poisoning are due to industrial alcohol in alcohol. In some cases, deaths become massive, dozens of people become victims of methanol.

Methods for determining methanol and ethanol

The danger of carbinol increases due to the fact that it has absolutely no external differences from ethyl alcohol. They taste and smell completely identical (ethanol has a slightly richer aroma). Medical and industrial alcohol have the same colorless color. Even a specialist is not always able to determine where the liquid is suitable for consumption, and where the toxic substance is.

Several experiments can help in determining the name of a particular type of alcohol. The simplest of them is the ignition of the liquid. Ethyl alcohol burns blue, but industrial alcohol has a green flame. If methanol contains any third-party additives, then the experimental data may be inaccurate.

Another simple test is the usual heating of alcohol in a metal vessel. It is necessary to detect with a thermometer at what temperature the boiling process will occur. Methanol reaches this state at 64 ° C, and ethyl alcohol - upon reaching 78 degrees.

A peeled raw potato is lowered into a container with the liquid under study for several hours. If it retains its natural color or turns blue, alcohol is ethyl alcohol. The acquisition of a pink color will signal the presence of methanol. Medical alcohol will retain its consistency and color during the experiment, it can even be eaten later. Technical alcohol contributes to the release of starch into the surrounding liquid, as a result of which it becomes cloudy.

In the next experiment, a copper wire heated in a fire is used, which is placed inside a container with cold alcohol. If after that the smell of rotten apples begins to spread, then copper oxide has entered into a chemical reaction with aldehyde, which can only occur in ethanol. A sharp unpleasant odor from formalin vapor indicates that technical alcohol was involved in the experiment.

A few grams of baking soda are thoroughly mixed in a small amount of liquid. If as a result of this the mixture remains pure, then it is carbinol. Soda diluted in ethanol will precipitate into an insoluble yellow precipitate - a consequence of the reaction of ethanol and iodine.

A certain amount of potassium permanganate is lowered into the liquid and the solution is heated. The appearance of gas bubbles will indicate that carbinol is used in the experiment. Instead of potassium permanganate, any other oxidizing agent can be used in the experiment.

Lang's method

It is possible to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol by the Lang method, the main task of which is to establish the quality of the liquid under study. 200 mg of potassium permanganate are diluted in 2 ml of distilled water and mixed thoroughly. Next, the studied liquid is taken in a volume of 50 ml and heated to a temperature of 18 ° C. A solution of potassium permanganate is poured into the liquid, the whole mixture is again thoroughly mixed. After some time, the liquid will change from purple to yellow-pink. This process takes longer, the higher quality alcohol is involved in the experiment.

Another poison can be identified by smell

After the tragedy with "Hawthorn" in Irkutsk, local residents announced a boycott of illegal alcohol. The population even organized a patrol, which reveals the places of illegal sale of alcohol. Nevertheless, today, as before, no one is immune from getting drinks based on methyl alcohol on the table. We found out if there is a way to test the presence of methanol in alcohol at home.

To do this, we turned to Professor of the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Terentiev.

The main problem with determining the presence of methanol in vodka or, say, in the same "Hawthorn" lies in the insufficient concentration of this substance in the liquid. Methods for detecting poison exist, but are applicable only if the methanol in the container is pure or its concentration is more than half of the total volume.

There is a tricky way, for which you need a small red-hot wire, - says Alexander Terentyev. - We must lower it into the liquid, and then pull it out and sniff it. If there is methanol in the container, then the smell will be very unpleasant, if ethanol is neutral.

For the second method, you need a regular thermometer. Put the liquid on the stove, turn on the fire, lower the thermometer and observe at what mark the boiling process will begin. Methanol will begin to boil at about 60 degrees, and ethanol - around 80.

Both of these methods are quite accessible, but again in cases where we are dealing with a high concentration of methanol, - explains the professor. - The most unpleasant situation is when methanol will be with impurities or it will be less than half. Here I have no idea how to detect this at home. With simple manipulations, this is almost impossible.

In a chemical laboratory, it would be possible to conduct an experiment with potassium permanganate, but it is also very unreliable in the case of purchased alcohol. After all, it is rarely sold in its pure form, as a rule, manufacturers add extracts (of the same hawthorn), which means that the analysis will be inaccurate.

In principle, methanol can be distinguished from ethanol by smell.

For a chemist, this is not difficult at all. But ordinary people should also remember that methanol does not have a pronounced smell, it is almost neutral. While the smell of ordinary ethyl alcohol is familiar to each of us.

Therefore, sniff. If it seems to you that for some reason an alcoholic drink does not smell like alcohol, you should at least be wary. And it is better to pour it into the sink - you will be healthier.

Conversely, a rich smell from a bottle will mean that the drink is on safe alcohol, because the standard enhances odors. And overly saturated components are often added to various tinctures and low-quality vodka. And the pronounced smell is not alcohol, but something else, most likely, will also indicate that the drink is safe. Relatively, of course: you can still earn poisoning. But at least you won't end up in the morgue.

Methanol is the worst thing, Terentyev warns. - 30-50 grams is already blindness, and 100 grams and more is a lethal dose. That is, even if a person survives, then, most likely, he will go blind. By the way, in the Soviet Union there were propaganda pictures “Do not drink methyl alcohol!”. They depict a man in dark glasses and with a stick.

It looks like it's time to print such pictures again and distribute them at metro exits.

Alcohol poisoning, which leads to blindness or death, most often occurs due to ignorance of how to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol. In 2012, mass poisoning with counterfeit alcohol occurred in the Czech Republic. The event received great publicity due to the number of victims: 38 people died (the youngest was 16 years old), more than 50 received serious health problems, of which 7 became blind, and three had a significantly disrupted nervous system. The tragedy repeated itself in Russia on New Year's Eve 2016: the workers of one of the fish processing plants, having discovered an ownerless container with liquid, decided to drink it. As a result, three people died immediately, the remaining 8 people were hospitalized in serious condition.

Methanol and its action

The culprit of fatal poisoning and disability - (or industrial alcohol, methanol). A poisonous liquid is practically no different from a food product, they can be easily confused.

Methyl alcohol is used in industry:

• To obtain formaldehyde;
• In the paint and varnish industry for the production of solvents;
• As a component of windscreen cleaning fluid for cars;
• As an additive in engine fuel.

Also, racing cars and motorcycles are filled with methyl alcohol.

It is almost impossible to distinguish ethyl (food) alcohol from its technical counterpart. Both liquids belong to the group of monohydric alcohols. The color and taste are the same, there is a slight difference in the smell: in methyl it is slightly less pronounced.

But it is unlikely that someone who is not a specialist can "smell" the difference. Therefore, fatal errors occur so often when drinking alcohol.

However, there are cases of conscious use of methyl. In some people, due to the resistance of the body, drinking poisonous alcohol passes without a trace, which is the source of false rumors about the alleged harmlessness of methanol.

In fact, methyl is the strongest poison that can, at best, make you crippled, and at worst, lead to death. After entering the gastrointestinal tract, industrial alcohol begins to have a toxic effect after an hour: the victim receives a narcotic effect that has nothing to do with ordinary intoxication. A particular danger when taking methanol lies in its slow decomposition process compared to food alcohol: the rate is 5-6 times lower.

First, methanol decomposes to formaldehyde, which then transforms into formic acid. Part of it reacts with proteins, disrupting the biochemical processes in the retina. As a result, the person becomes blind. Formic acid, being in the body for a long time, is the cause of severe acidosis. And undecomposed methanol neutralizes many vital processes: it affects hemoglobin and cell components. As a result, the supply of tissues with oxygen stops, hypoxia occurs.

Signs of poisoning and measures of help

The decay products of methyl alcohol remain in the body for 3-4 days, are excreted very slowly: 60% is excreted during breathing and only approximately 10% in the urine. The kidneys remove methanol on average within three days, formic acid - even longer - about a week.

The severity of the consequences of poisoning depends on the dose taken and the strength of the body. To get poisoned, it is not necessary only to drink adulterated alcohol. It is enough to inhale vapors or allow close contact with the skin. Symptoms of intoxication appear 7-12 hours after drinking. The main symptom is visual impairment: a veil, flickering flies. If you do not take action in time, the person will go blind.

Poisoning can be recognized by:

• Weakness, nausea and vomiting;
• Blueness of the skin and mucous membranes;
• Difficulty breathing;
• severe headache;
• convulsions;
• Tachycardia.

To prevent drinking from turning into a tragedy, you must remember:

• Do not drink suspicious liquid;
• Do not drink in the company of strangers;
• Buy alcohol only in licensed stores.

If, nevertheless, an accident has occurred, it is necessary to call an ambulance as soon as possible, and also take independent measures:

• Induce vomiting, do gastric lavage;
• Give activated charcoal.

The antidote of methyl alcohol is food grade. Therefore, it is recommended to drink the victim with ethyl alcohol or inject it intravenously.

But this should be done only with absolute certainty that the cause of the ailment is methanol poisoning. Otherwise, confusing the state with the usual intoxication with vodka, you can aggravate the situation of the victim.

How to test methyl alcohol

Due to the almost one hundred percent similarity of the two liquids, it is very difficult to determine by eye which of them is poisonous. Especially if you do it at home.

However, there are several ways to identify poison:

1. With copper wire. It is necessary to twist a thin copper rod into a spiral and heat it white on fire. Then lower it into a bowl with the liquid being tested, and, taking it out, sniff the fumes, making forward movements with your hand towards your nose. Methyl alcohol will give itself out as an unpleasant, pungent smell of formaldehyde. A slight smell of rotten apples will come from ethyl.
2. You can determine methyl alcohol at home by boiling point. Pour the liquid into a metal vessel and heat it over a fire. As soon as it starts to boil, lower the special thermometer and check the readings. The boiling point of methanol is almost 65 °, more precisely - 64.7 ° C. Ethyl alcohol has a higher boiling point - 78.4 ° C.
3. It is easy to recognize methyl alcohol by the flame - what color it will burn. Pour liquid into two metal bowls and set on fire. Poisonous methyl alcohol burns greenish, while ethyl alcohol will be bluish.
4. If you are afraid of experience with fire, it is possible to test the liquid with the help of potatoes. Immerse a piece of peeled root crop for several hours in the test liquid. Changed color and became pinkish - in front of you is methyl alcohol, remained unchanged - in a bowl of food.

However, it should be remembered that all such experiments are possible only for concentrated pure liquids. It is impossible to determine the presence of methanol in the mixture. There is only one proven method for this: if the origin of the liquid that smells of alcohol is unclear, it should never be drunk.

Everything happens mainly due to inattention or carelessness. Only a few can risk playing Russian roulette with him. If you want to keep your eyesight and stay alive, remember that you can't drink everything that burns. It is necessary to check the origin of the drink by conducting simple experiments. If they do not help, throw away the bottle without regret. Remember about health!