What is ethanol?
Ethanol is one of alcohol and is also known as ethyl alcohol or spirit.
The chemical formula is C2H6O, which consists of 2 carbons (C), 6 hydrogens (H), and 1 oxygen (O).
The structural formulas are as follows.
(The first one is an abbreviated structural formula.)
It is a substance that is often used in familiar places among solvents, and is also active as a sterilizer/disinfectant, a food additive, and a fuel.
Since it is highly volatile, be sure to keep the container tightly closed during storage and store it in a cool and dark place.
The ignition point is 400 ° C, but the flash point is as low as 13 ° C, so be careful with fire.
When ethanol burns, the flame is pale.
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The flame seen in a dark place | The flame seen in a bright place |
It is harder to see than a red flame, and it is hard to notice that it is burning. In some cases, the discovery was delayed, or even though it seemed to have extinguished, it was not actually extinguished.
Be careful because it is a solvent that is familiar and is often used in ordinary households.
It is also included in liquor, as it is ethanol called “spirit”.
However, there are several types of ethanol, and some are not drinkable, so you should never drink these types of ethanol.
About alcohol
I wrote at the beginning that ethanol is one of alcohol.
There are other chemicals that fall under alcohol, and “methanol” and “isopropyl alcohol (IPA)” are also called alcohol.
Alcohol that is commonly heard in our daily lives is mostly “alcoholic beverages,” but it is important to note that alcohol is not only alcohol drink.
Classification of ethanol
Classification by manufacturing method
There are two types of ethanol, depending on the raw material and manufacturing method.
◎ Synthetic ethanol
Synthetic ethanol is produced by the hydration reaction of ethylene gas.
It is used in inks, paints, adhesives, pesticides, cosmetics, etc. and cannot be used in food.
◎ Fermented ethanol
It is ethanol produced by a method of manufacturing from natural raw materials (such as sugar cane).
It is used as a food preservative, seasoning, food and drink.
Classification by standard
◎ 99 degrees: ethanol content 99.5 vol% or more
◎ 95 degree: ethanol content 95.0 vol% or more
*99 degrees contains anhydrous and 95 degrees contains a small amount of water.
*There are industrial/reagent (special grade) and reagent (first grade) standards for both 99 and 95 degrees.
◎ For disinfection: ethanol content approx. 76-81 vol%
*It cannot be used unless it is based on the Japanese Pharmacopoeia.
Classification by Ethanol Business Act
◎ Special Types of Ethanol
Subject to liquor tax
Anyone can buy and use it freely without permission.
◎ General alcohol
No levy equivalent to liquor tax (tax exemption)
To be exempt from tax, you must apply to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for permission to use it, keep detailed records such as quantity and intended use, and report it to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
◎ Denatured alcohol
No levy equivalent to liquor tax
It is manufactured for the purpose of exempting from liquor tax and is no longer drinkable. It is a mixed solvent composed mainly of ethanol.
Basically, the content of ethanol is less than 90%, and one or more additives are added.
Basic information on ethanol
Click here for basic information such as various legal regulations and boiling point of ethanol.
https://www.sankyo-chem.com/tantai/Ethanol%20hensei1.html
Click here for Sankyo Chemical’s ethanol substitutes
Added on March 26, 2020
Difference between ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and alcohol
Since there were many questions about the difference between ethanol and alcohol, I added the following.
Ethanol is a type of alcohol (as I wrote at the beginning of this article).
Ethanol is alcohol. On the other hand, alcohol is not only ethanol.
In addition, there are many types of alcohol such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), methanol (methyl alcohol), and NPA (normal propyl alcohol).
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