About the dangers of methyl alcohol and the simplest ways to determine methanol in vodka. How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol

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“By eye,” especially for a non-professional, it is almost impossible to distinguish ethyl alcohol, which is included in all alcohol in the world, from its technical counterpart, methyl alcohol. This leads to annual mass poisonings in Russia and the CIS countries, where drinking alcohol of unknown or suspicious origin has become a bad tradition. But drinking low-quality ethyl-based alcohol is not so bad (although in the pre-revolutionary classification it was also equated with poison). Methanol is the real enemy of the body. This is the strongest poison, which even in relatively large quantities can have a detrimental effect on the blood vessels and nervous system of a person, and most of all on the state of vision, up to complete blindness. And consuming only 30 to 100 grams (for different people in different ways) of this substance can be fatal. Therefore, the question of how to determine it at home is by no means idle, but very urgent. Especially since, according to experts, great amount

alcohol sold in our country is counterfeit!

We will tell you how to distinguish it from ethyl and what the difference between them is in our article. We hope that the knowledge gained will help you avoid unnecessary incidents and the harmful effects of methanol when drinking alcoholic beverages.

How to determine methyl alcohol at home

Many people remember the recent events in the Czech Republic, where it seems that many people suffered from “branded” alcohol. And this mass-produced counterfeit, packaged in beautiful bottles, contained methanol. Therefore, information on how to determine it at home is important and relevant. After all, methanol tastes and smells little different from ethanol. Of course, if you have a solution in front of you that contains only one type of alcohol, then you can determine the difference using various, fairly simple, methods, which we will discuss below. But if it is a mixture of alcohols, then their content and quantity can only be understood by examining it in the laboratory.

Traditional methods of determination So: how to determine at home born from experience and quite effective. The first of them: setting fire to alcohol. Pour test liquids into small bowls and set them on fire. We look closely at the color of the burning fire (and it will burn no matter what, since the strength is over 40 degrees) and compare. If it blazes with a blue flame, then we have ethanol, and it can be used for drinking purposes (of course, if there are no other harmful impurities). If combustion is accompanied green fire, then it is methanol. This one is pretty simple and effective method How to determine methyl alcohol at home will undoubtedly work if the solution in front of us is sufficiently pure. And the method itself is based on some difference in chemical composition liquids.

Using potatoes

Using ordinary raw potatoes you can also determine this difference. Potatoes need to be peeled and washed. We cut off a slice of the root vegetable and throw it into a small container containing the liquid to be tested: presumably ethyl or methyl alcohol. After some time (usually a couple of hours), the potatoes in methanol should change their color and become pinkish. In ethanol, the slice practically does not change color.

Formaldehyde test

For this we will need open fire. The wire must be copper and stripped of its sheath. Pour the liquid to be tested into a bowl. We heat the copper over a fire and sharply dip it into a liquid medium. If we have methanol in front of us, then an unpleasant and quite Strong smell formaldehyde. Ethanol in this case, it has practically no odor (sometimes it can smell like apple aroma). Alternatively: add potassium permanganate to the liquid (buy at a pharmacy) and set it on fire. The smell can easily determine whether the alcohol belongs to one or another group of methanol or ethanol.

Precautionary measures

If you suspect that you have taken methanol, you should immediately call a doctor, and not wait: they say, it will pass and resolve on its own. Signs of poisoning: sharp pain in the head, difficulty breathing, a person experiences malaise and weakness, pain in the abdomen and lumbar region, and possible vomiting. You can try to do a gastric lavage with the same magrantsovka in a light water solution. And by the way, knowing how to distinguish methyl alcohol at home may be useful here if the liquid that was ingested remains unfinished. And, oddly enough, 10% ethyl alcohol is considered a good antidote!

Alcohol is the main ingredient in almost all alcoholic drinks. 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. We will tell you below which of them can be drunk or eaten, and what color they burn.

Ethyl or ethanol

Ethyl alcohol comes in two types: food and medical. It is suitable for consumption, however, before doing this it must be diluted with water, otherwise, due to the high concentration of alcohol, you can get serious burns of the digestive tract and oral cavity.

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 expressed rather weakly and is felt only when “sniffing”, while ethanol vapors are sharper and hit the nose.

This product is obtained by distilling wort that has previously undergone 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, prepared from high-quality raw materials and in accordance with technological rules, is in no way inferior in quality to industrial alcohol.

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

Methyl or methanol

Methyl or technical alcohol, which is popularly simply called methanol This is an industrial product and cannot be used as 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, be sure to follow safety precautions, since methanol has a strong and pungent aroma and can also cause severe burns to the epidermis.

Reference. Industrial 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, when making your own alcoholic drinks, it is very important to use the right product.

When purchasing alcoholic beverages in stores with a proven reputation, the risk of poisoning from a “scorched” product is significantly reduced. Most often, drinks with methyl alcohol are sold in kiosks, sales tents, by hand, at unauthorized points of sale and drinking, as well as near train stations.

How to determine the species?

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

1. All you need to do is set the liquid on fire. You can pour not a large number of into any container, or you can simply moisten the edge of a cotton swab and bring it to the fire source. This method does not require the use of any special tools, and the diagnostic result is instantaneous. Ethyl alcohol always burns only with a blue flame, but the flame of methanol is green. But this rule only works for methyl alcohol without unnecessary impurities.
2. There is also the so-called potato test. A small root vegetable is thoroughly peeled and washed, then cut into two parts and both are placed in a jar. Pour alcohol over the potatoes and leave for 2-5 hours. If after this period the water is not colored pink color, which means it is ethyl alcohol, and it can be used in the future.
3. You can add a small amount baking soda into a vessel with alcohol. If there is ethanol in the container, then the soda will be colored yellow and settles at the bottom of the container. If the alcohol is methyl alcohol, then it will completely dissolve.
4. Lightly heat the alcohol and add a couple of granules of ordinary potassium permanganate to it. If the liquid is of high quality, then no changes will occur. If methanol has been heated, then when potassium permanganate gets into it, it will begin to hiss 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.
6. At the moment when it begins to boil, its temperature should be measured. Ethanol boils at 80 degrees, and methyl alcohol begins to boil at 60 degrees. Lang's test or discoloration of liquid. To do this, the test liquid is heated to 18 degrees in a small container. The manganese infusion is immediately poured into this and everything is removed from the heat. Now you need to time the time it takes for the liquid to color from dark crimson to light pink. The longer this process takes place, the better the quality of the liquid being tested. The best option
7. The simplest but most reliable is the so-called formaldehyde test. All that is necessary is to heat a copper wire over high heat and lower it into a container with liquid. After 15 seconds, the copper is removed and sniffed. The stronger the aroma of formaldehyde, the lower the quality of the alcohol, which means you should never drink it.

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

Symptoms of poisoning and first aid

If methanol was nevertheless consumed, then this will be indicated by:

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

The person may also have poor spatial orientation and lose consciousness. In such cases, first aid should be provided immediately:

1. Call an ambulance and explain that the victim has severe methanol poisoning.
2. It is necessary to give the person a soda solution to drink. The volume of liquid drunk 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.

To intoxicate and neutralize methanol, the victim is allowed to drink 50 ml of slightly diluted ethanol every three hours. But you shouldn’t self-medicate at home. Only a medical institution can assess the degree of poisoning and provide proper assistance.

Ethyl alcohol poisoning

You can also be poisoned by ethyl alcohol if you exceed the permissible dose. The amount of alcohol entering the blood is measured in ppm (‰) – conventional unit, indicating 1/10 of a percent of alcohol per 1 liter of blood.

First aid for ethyl alcohol poisoning (hangover)

If a drunk is vomiting, it is necessary to give him the opportunity to empty his stomach properly, and if he is able to drink water, it must 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 off, he will need:

1. 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 are a good saver, since during “libations” the body loses glucose.
4. If you feel the urge to vomit, you can induce it artificially by drinking a glass of clean water first.
5. A refreshing shower, airing the room, a light walk.
6. Chicken broth, soup, some oatmeal, greens or a raw egg will start the stomach and help you recover faster.

Severe physical activity, exposure to contrasting temperatures, heavy food, and don’t get a “hangover.”

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

If you have doubts about the alcoholic liquid you are purchasing, it is better to do several studies simultaneously 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:

What are the distinctive features between methyl and ethyl alcohols? This question can be addressed to chemical laboratory specialists, who, in turn, will present a great deal of information that will not be clear to the common man with basic knowledge. In fact, there is a huge difference between these two types of product, although they belong to the same class organic chemistry- a group of alcohols. Let's leave scientific point vision in place and let's move on to everyday issues...

How to determine the difference between methyl and ethyl alcohols?

Methyl alcohol (CH3OH), more often you can hear the name “methanol”, does not differ much from ethyl alcohol in terms of visual characteristics. It consists of a colorless liquid with a less pronounced but similar odor. Only by the first signs can methyl and ethyl alcohols be confused. Methanol can also act as a fuel, but it has not gained much popularity in this area due to a significant drawback - the ignition temperature of methanol is too low, the content of strong and harmful poisons, alcohol is able to draw in liquid. Methanol, unlike ethanol, is vitally dangerous poison! When ingested, thirty grams of this alcohol can cause blindness, and fifty grams will lead to the death of the victim.
Ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH). Speaking in simple language– this is “ethanol”, a simple drinking alcohol. Taken in small doses, it serves as a dope for nervous systems s of a person. Ethanol has the following properties:
- highly flammable.
-has a disinfecting effect.
-much lighter than water.
Ethyl alcohol received great application, both as alcoholic products and in industrial terms, cosmetics, cleaning products and many other areas surrounding humans.
Generally speaking, ethanol has received widespread use in production and everyday life, earning the status of the most valuable raw material. In addition, work is underway to replace gasoline and a number of other petroleum products used as fuel with ethyl alcohol.
Comparative characteristics of methyl and ethyl alcohols.
Unfortunately, there are no simple ways to distinguish methanol from ethanol. They are so similar in smell, taste and smell that only a highly qualified worker chemical industry will be able to identify it by one type.
Along with this, there are a number of simple experiments that a person can conduct without leaving home. To do this, you may need the following: a burner, a container (metal), copper wire, a transparent test tube or dishes, a thermometer (thermometer).
All of the above items can be easily found in stores.

Let's look at ways to recognize these two alcohols:

First method: It is necessary to place a metal container with the alcohol being tested on the burner, then measure the temperature at which this liquid begins to boil. Methyl alcohol will begin to boil at a temperature of sixty-four degrees Celsius. Ethyl alcohol, in turn, will begin to boil at seventy-eight degrees Celsius.
Second method: It is necessary to heat the copper wire until white and place it in a bowl with the alcohol being tested. Having taken it out of the container with alcohol, it is necessary to smell the taste of the gas that evaporates from the wire (this must be done forward movements palms to the nose area). When you smell the aroma of rotten apples, you can confidently say that this is ethanol. If, on the contrary, the smell is irritatingly unpleasant and pungent - methanol.
It is worth noting that these methods can be carried out with high concentration alcohols.
Based on experience, we can safely say that you should not drink alcohol of unknown origin!

Several more ways to determine the difference between alcohols.

- Origin of origin. It is necessary to purchase goods from stores that do not put you at risk of purchasing counterfeit products. It is better to purchase products in specialized alcohol markets, and not at points of sale that cause you doubt.
- Ignition method. With this method everything is quite simple. It is necessary to ignite the test liquid and observe the color of the flame as it burns. If you see a blue flame, this means ethyl alcohol; methyl alcohol burns with a green flame.
- Potato testing method. A small piece of potato is placed in a bath of alcohol for several hours. If the potatoes acquire a pinkish tint, we can understand that we have methyl alcohol in front of us. If the potatoes remain without changing their color characteristics, we can say with certainty that this is ethyl alcohol.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning.
Methanol poisoning may include the following symptoms: nausea and vomiting, malaise, difficulty breathing, feeling of lethargy and powerlessness, severe headache.
These signs are similar to those of ethanol alcohol poisoning and are often confused. But in cases of methanol poisoning, the result is the most serious. Methyl instantly begins to destroy the vascular, visual and nervous systems of the human body.
In cases where a person becomes ill after drinking alcohol, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance.

It is known that drinking low-quality alcoholic beverages can lead to serious intoxication of the body. But the consequences can be much more dire if the drink contains methyl alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol. It is impossible to distinguish these two alcohols by eye, but being able to determine the presence of methanol is an important skill that can save life and health. Methanol for human body poisonous and deadly: after consuming just thirty milliliters of this type of alcohol, a person can lose sight, fall into a coma, or even die.

In a laboratory setting, distinguishing ethanol from methanol is not difficult. But how to do this at home? Let's give useful tips on this topic in the following sections of the article.

We already said above that it is impossible to distinguish ethanol from methanol by eye. They have the same color, taste, smell.

At home, you can distinguish ethanol from methanol using sufficient simple method– the liquid will need to be poured into a small container and then set on fire. Ethyl alcohol burns with a blue flame, but methanol produces a green flame when burned.

Method No. 2: Indicator potatoes

The most common potato can help determine what exactly is poured into the bottle - ethanol or methanol.

Take a root vegetable tuber and peel it. Cut a small piece from the potato and place it in the test liquid. If after a couple of hours the potatoes turn pink, there is methanol in the drink. If the potatoes simply darken, it means that the liquid contains ethyl alcohol.

If you have copper wire, then it is better to carry out a test for the determination of methanol using it, since this method is considered the most reliable. A small piece of copper wire should be heated over a fire and then dipped into the liquid, and if you immediately smell the pungent odor of formaldehyde, this is methanol.

These simple ways can help you accurately determine the presence of dangerous methanol in a drink, but you should be aware that if an unscrupulous alcohol manufacturer mixed several types of alcohol into one mass, homemade tests may not give the correct results. Therefore, it is better to buy alcohol in good stores, High Quality and be sure to check the excise tax.