Methylated spirit (Meths or denatured alcohol — but not Rubbing alcohol which is different [1]) is ethanol which has been rendered toxic or otherwise undrinkable, and in some cases dyed. It is used for purposes such as fuel for spirit burners and camping stoves, and as a solvent. Traditionally, the main additive was 10% methanol, which gave rise to its name, but this is not always the case now. There are diverse industrial uses for ethanol, and therefore literally hundreds of recipes for denaturing ethanol. Typical additives are methanol, isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, denatonium, and even (uncommonly) aviation gasoline. A bottle of rubbing alcohol Rubbing alcohol, U.S.P. / B.P. is a liquid prepared for topical application prepared from specially denatured alcohol and containing 68. ... Grain alcohol redirects here. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naptha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naptha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ... Isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol is a common name for 2-propanol, an alcohol commonly used for application to the skin, and popularly referred to as rubbing alcohol. ... 2-Butanone is a manufactured organic chemical but it is also present in the environment from natural sources. ... A pollutant that the government wants added to ethanol alcohol to prevent it from being used as a beverage, but only as a vehicle fuel instead. ... Denatonium, usually available as denatonium benzoate (or under trade names such as Bitrex or Aversion) and as denatonium saccharide, is the most bitter compound known. ... Avgas is a high-octane fuel used for aircraft and, in the past, racing cars. ...

As used in the phrase denatured alcohol, denatured means "a specific property of ethanol, its usefulness as a beverage, is removed". The ethanol molecule is not denatured in the sense that its chemical structure is altered. Irreversible egg protein denaturation and loss of solubility, caused by the high temperature (while cooking it) In biochemistry, denaturation is a structural change in biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins, such that they are no longer in their native state, and their shape which allows for optimal activity. ... Chemical structure refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together. ...

There is no duty on methylated spirit in most countries, making it considerably cheaper than pure ethanol. Consequently, its composition is tightly defined by government regulations which vary between countries. Different additives are used to make it both unpalatable and poisonous in such a way that is hard to rectify through distillation or other simple processes. Methanol is commonly used for this in part because it has a boiling point close to that of ethanol, and separating it by distillation is impossible because it forms an azeotropic mixture and will have the same boiling point. In many countries, it is also required to be dyed blue or purple with an aniline dye. In economics, a duty is a kind of tax, often associated with customs, a payment due to the revenue of a state, levied by force of law. ... Grain alcohol redirects here. ... Laboratory distillation set-up using, without a fractionating column 1: Heat source 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer/Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate/receiving flask 9: Vacuum/gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed... This article needs more context around or a better explanation of technical details to make it more accessible to general readers and technical readers outside the specialty, without removing technical details. ... Look up dye in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene (C6H5NH2) is an organic chemical compound which is a primary aromatic amine consisting of a benzene ring and an amino group. ...

The tax-exempt status for denatured alcohol dates from the mid-19th century. For instance the United Kingdom introduced legislation in 1855 to permit ethanol containing 10% wood-naphtha to be exempt. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Formulations

The Irish specification is typical. The following are added to ethanol to make it into methylated spirit:

• 9.5 % wood naptha
• 0.5 % pyridine
• 0.025 ounce (0.709 grams) methyl violet dye per 100 gallons (378.5 litres) of ethanol
• 0.375 % petroleum oil

The naphtha and pyridine may be replaced with 10% methanol. Pyridine is a chemical compound with the formula C5H5N. It is a liquid with a distinctively putrid odour. ... The ounce is the name for a number of different units of mass (oz), and also of two units of fluid volume (fl oz) and of one unit of force, the ounce-force (ozf). ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ... Structure of Methyl Violet 2B Methyl violet is the name given to a group of similar chemicals used as pH indicators and dyes. ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is a unit of volume. ... The litre or liter (U.S. spelling, see spelling differences) is a unit of volume. ... Mineral oil or liquid petrolatum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. ... Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naptha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CH3OH. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, poisonous liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol (ethyl alcohol). ...

Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS) UK formulation

This is a colourless liquid that is generally unavailable to the public. The production, purchase and use requires a licence or other authorisation. It consists of ethanol mixed with methanol to render it unfit for drinking. It is commonly used as a solvent in industry etc where the denaturants added to ordinary methylated spirit would render it unfit for the purpose. The ordinary coloured methylated spirit is freely available to the public and has a similar composition to the Irish formulation.

The regulations relating to denatured alcohol in the United States may be found at 27 CFR part 20. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States. ...

Consumption and toxicity

Despite its poisonous nature, methylated spirits are sometimes consumed by the desperate or ignorant, which can result in blindness or death. To help prevent this, Denatonium is often added to give the substance an extremely bitter flavor. Substances such as Pyridine help to give the mixture an unpleasant odor, and emetic (vomiting) agents such as Syrup of Ipecac may also be included. Denatonium, usually available as denatonium benzoate (or under trade names such as Bitrex or Aversion) and as denatonium saccharide, is the most bitter compound known. ... Pyridine is a chemical compound with the formula C5H5N. It is a liquid with a distinctively putrid odour. ... Syrup of Ipecac (derived from the dried rhizome and roots of the Ipecacuanha plant), is an emetic—a substance used to induce vomiting. ...

It is not the methanol itself that is toxic, but the accumulation of its metabolites, formaldehyde and formic acid. Because the metabolic pathways for ethanol and methanol share a common enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, ethanol can be used to treat methanol poisoning by blocking the enzyme until the body can excrete enough methanol through the lungs and skin. (In a documented case, a shipworker poisoned while cleaning out a methanol tank was successfully treated with administration of a good portion of the liquor in the ship's "medicine chest."^[1]) The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal) is a gas with a pungent smell. ... Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest carboxylic acid. ... Alcohol Dehydrogenase Alcohol dehydrogenases are a group of dehydrogenase enzymes that occur in many organisms and facilitate the interconversion between alcohols and aldehydes or ketones. ...

Uses

A common use is as a fuel for marine and ultra-light camping (backpacking) stoves. Its main advantages are its low cost, its ability to be extinguished by water, the fact that it is not explosive, and its ability to be transported without special containers. However, safety concerns do arise from the near-colourless flame with which alcohol burns. In brightly-lit areas, an alcohol flame can be essentially invisible, creating a potential hazard wherein persons can be burned by contacting flames they cannot see. A small portable stove and its container MSR WindPro with skillet, heat reflector, wind shield and isobutane/propane canister A portable stove is a stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, as for camping. ...

One notable use is as a sanding aid, as the alcohol helps to more easily remove the excess sawdust that results from sanding wood, ^[2] because it does not open the wood grain the way that water would. Methylated spirits may also be used to kill mealybugs.^[3] Mealybug is the common name of insects in Pseudococcidae, a family of unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. ...

Methylated spirit is often also used for its solvent properties, for example to remove ink stains from upholstery or clothes. It is also well known to burn cold relative to paraffin when thrown upon a naked flame. Paraffin is a common name for a group of alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2, where n is greater than about 20, discovered by Carl Reichenbach. ...

Antiseptic mouthwash such as Listerine is denatured to avoid being taxed as an alcoholic beverage.^{[citation needed]} This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes

1. ^ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1315171&dopt=Abstract
2. ^ Denatured Alcohol as a Sanding Aid. Woodzone.com (Unknown year). Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
3. ^ http://www.succulents.co.za/succulent-plant-pests/mealy-bug.php

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ...

External links

• Specifications for Denatured Alcohol in various European Union countries
• 27 CFR 20, regulations relating to denatured alcohol in the United States
• Specifications and licensing of methylated spirits in the United Kingdom