Ethyl alcohol is well-known, it is a part of all alcoholic beverages. The appearance of ethanol – transparent colourless liquid with a pungent characteristic smell, is a little lighter than water. Cases of a serious poisoning when they take other organic liquids for ethanol, including such poisonous as methyl alcohol are frequent. Special danger and insidiousness of methanol that the use even of small amount of this alcohol can cause a blindness or a lethal outcome, and on appearance, a smell, density and taste it we will practically not distinguish from ethanol.
Instruction
1. Let's assume, you have two canisters in one of which ethanol, and in another – methanol. How to distinguish rather harmless ethyl alcohol from deadly methyl? In house conditions the easiest and available way will be the following method. Pour a small amount of alcohol of some canister in separate glass capacity: glass or to bank. Not to mix from what canister the sample was taken, make a mark (for example, a marker).
2. Then take a copper wire, it is better thick. One end, wrapping it around a pencil or a nail, curtail a spiral. Clamp another passatizha or a tack, heat in a flame. As soon as the copper spiral is heated, as soon as possible lower it in a glass or to bank about breakdown. Immediately hissing will sound, and you will feel a strong foreign smell.
3. If in test there was a methanol – the smell will be very pungent, unpleasant. The fact is that there was a chemical reaction: CH3OH = HCHO + H2. As a result of this reaction, substance NSNO – formaldehyde (it is ant aldehyde) with a pungent characteristic smell was formed.
4. If test contained ethanol, the smell will be much softer, more pleasant. He reminds aroma of rotten apples. Because there was a reaction of C2H5OH = CH3CHO + H2, and ethyl aldehyde was formed (or acetic aldehyde).
5. There is also sensitive high-quality reaction to ethyl alcohol. It is called yodoformny test, proceeds according to such scheme: C2H5OH + 6NaOH + 4I2 = CHI3 +HCOONa + 5NaI + H2O. As a result of interaction of ethanol with solution of alkali and solution of iodine when cooling reactionary capacity the light yellow suspension is formed. By means of yodoformny test it is possible to find ethanol, even at its very low concentration (about 0.05%). If concentration of alcohol is high, the formed suspension pretty fast will drop out in a deposit.