How technical alcohol burns. Useful knowledge: how to determine methyl alcohol at home? How to distinguish alcohol from phenol

The purity of alcohol is very important, because this organic compound is widely used in the production of alcoholic beverages and for medical purposes. However, if the liquid contains even a small amount of methyl alcohol, then poisoning cannot be avoided. Therefore, before you buy alcohol, you need to check its quality. This can be done not only in special laboratories, but also at home.

Below are two methods that will help you independently determine the quality of ethyl alcohol. Let's dwell on them in more detail.

The first way

To conduct this experiment, you need to take:

• alcohol;
• mirror;
• potassium permanganate.

To make sure that there are no poisonous oils in the alcohol, the use of which can even lead to death, you need to dilute it with water in a 1: 1 ratio, rinse your mouth and spit it out. If there is an unusual aftertaste, then the drink is of poor quality and cannot be drunk.

After that, you need to take a dry, clean mirror, drop a few drops of alcohol on it and wait until it dries. If there are no streaks, alcohol can be added to drinks. Otherwise, it contains oils that are harmful to health and from the use of such alcoholic beverage better to refuse.

You need to take one tablespoon of a weak solution of potassium permanganate and mix it with three tablespoons of alcohol. The temperature of the liquid should be slightly below room temperature. High-quality alcohol should be colored in 5 minutes. If this happens faster, then there are impurities in the drink. And the sooner the reaction ends, the worse quality alcohol.

Second way

If alcohol is used for external use - compresses, rubdowns or injections, its quality does not really matter. But if you buy ethyl alcohol and add it when preparing homemade dishes, make tinctures and liqueurs from alcohol, this issue should be taken very seriously. For the next experiment, you only need to take matches:

Pour alcohol into a flat container, light it and observe the color of the flame. If it is a beautiful blue color, the alcohol can be considered pure. But if a yellow tint appears, there are impurities in the drink and it is better to refuse to use it.

Several tens of thousands of people die from poisoning with low-quality alcohol every year. Therefore, it is better to take these advice seriously and conduct these experiments at home than later have health problems.

There are many dangers associated with drinking alcohol. Ethyl intoxication is the least of the troubles. The feast can end with a funeral if there is alcohol on the table with an admixture of methanol.

No less dangerous is the use of alcohol obtained in a roundabout way from production. Often, workers take out and sell alcohol of unknown origin, reassuring the buyer that the product is safe. In such a situation, it is extremely important to resist the temptation and first check the liquid for the presence of deadly methanol.

Previously, methanol was obtained in the form of hydrolysis alcohol from sawdust, for which it received its second name - wood alcohol. Methyl alcohol is currently produced from methane.

Methyl or "technical" alcohol is deadly to humans when used internally and externally, even in small doses.

Methyl alcohol is widely used in industry, which earned the name "technical". The specific properties of methanol have been applied in various industries:

• In light industry, methanol is used in the production of silk.
• Methanol is used as a solvent in the production of paints and varnishes.
• Methanol increases the octane rating of the fuel. This property is widely used by racers and biofuel manufacturers.
• In the gas industry, methanol is used to neutralize hydrates in pipes and wellbores.
• Methanol is used in the production of formalin, formaldehyde, acetic acid, ether, isoprene.
• Methyl alcohol is used to clean printing boards and contacts.
• Methanol is part of antifreeze due to its low freezing point.

Methyl alcohol vapors detonate at + 8 ° C.

At first glance, ethyl and methyl alcohols are very similar. It is extremely difficult to determine the presence of methanol organoleptically, especially if the liquid contains two types of alcohol.

Methyl alcohol is a mobile liquid that does not have a characteristic odor. Determination of methanol in solutions with a concentration of less than 50% is very difficult. The methanol test is carried out using auxiliary chemical, organic preparations or by heating.

(Video: “How to determine methyl alcohol at home“)

Accurately recognizing methanol is possible only when studying concentrated alcohol.

It is important to use more than one or two methods, since a single experiment does not always lead to the correct result. There are eight available ways home tests of alcohol for the presence of methanol:

• Pharmacy iodine dissolves in methyl alcohol without residue, while in ethanol a precipitate of yellow flakes precipitates at the bottom of the container.
• Baking soda also successfully dissolves in methyl alcohol. In edible alcohol or rubbing alcohol, baking soda will cloud the liquid.
• Starch or raw potatoes turns pink or bluish on reaction with methanol. Ethyl alcohol does not change the color of the potato starch.
• Potassium permanganate or potassium permanganate Reacts with methanol to produce gas. Simply put, the liquid begins to fizzle and bubble like lemonade. Ethyl alcohol dissolves potassium permanganate without fizzling. Subsequently, a precipitate in the form of brown flakes falls to the bottom of the tank.
• Copper wire , heated to white on the fire, is dipped in the investigated alcohol for one to two seconds. Taking a wire out of the liquid, they study the smell of evaporation. The sharp chemical smell of formalin indicates the decomposition of toxic methanol.
• Boiling temperature methyl alcohol is well below the boiling point of ethanol and is only 65 ° C.
• The smell of technical alcohol not as harsh as its food grade counterpart. Ethanol enhances the aroma of fragrances and food additives, while methanol does not have this property.
• Ignition method alcohol can warn of death. Concentrated methanol burns with a greenish flame, while the flame of burning ethanol is blue in color. The ignition method is not 100% guaranteed. The ethanol flame turns green when boric acid is added.

(Video: “How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol“)

In the same way, an erroneous result will be obtained if there is a small proportion of methyl alcohol in the surrogate alcohol.

Ethanol masks the presence of methanol, leading to high mortality among chronic alcoholics.

The toxin is easily absorbed into the body by inhalation of toxic fumes. Also, the poisonous substance is absorbed by the skin. The most dangerous is the internal use of technical alcohol.

Methanol Is a nervous and vascular poison that causes collapse, oxygen starvation, acidosis.

The toxin selectively affects the fundus retina and optic nerve, resulting in blindness when a dose exceeding 5 ml is used. Death occurs when using 30 ml. The poison is quickly absorbed, accumulates and excreted for a very long time.

The maximum amount of toxin accumulates in the brain, adipose tissues, eyes, and lungs. The main danger is that the symptoms of poisoning appear 8-12 hours after the poison enters the body.

A person manages to take a lethal dose of methanol long before the first signs of poisoning appear, when saving a life is extremely difficult.

The first sign is visual impairment, eye pain, black and white vision. Other symptoms of poisoning are expressed in:

Vomiting, nausea;

Pain throughout the body;

Dizziness;

Difficulty breathing.

It is extremely important, given the high danger to life, to seek emergency help at the first sign of intoxication.

Methyl alcohol decomposes into formic acid and formaldehyde. Both chemical compounds are fatal to the body. Formalin is excreted from the body for more than eight to ten hours, and formic acid - up to a week.

The systems and internal organs of a person are not adapted to neutralize and eliminate the dangerous toxin and its decay products. The release of the body from the deadly poison is carried out in the following proportions:

1. Lungs - 70%;
2. Kidneys - 10%;
3. Liver - 10%.

Measures to assist the victim are to neutralize the toxin and maintain vital functions.

Self-recovery after poisoning is impossible. Self-medication, like delay, is deadly.

The most effective antidote to methanol is ethyl alcohol, which is administered intravenously. Carrying out this procedure on its own is prohibited, since it is important to correctly calculate the dosage and rate of administration. In some cases, the use of ethyl alcohol can worsen the condition of the victim.

It is important to carry out a number of activities before the arrival of the resuscitation team:

• Rinse the stomach thoroughly;
• Do bowel cleansing;
• Take activated charcoal.

Poisoning always has dire consequences. Saving a life does not mean complete recovery. The most common victims lose their eyesight, suffer from vegetative-vascular and nervous dysfunctions.

The main difference between ethyl alcohol and other types of such substances is its suitability for ingestion. Other types of alcohols have more or less toxic properties for humans, so the ability to distinguish between their types will minimize the risk of chemical poisoning. The greatest danger of all types of inedible alcohols is methyl alcohol, due to its cheapness, prevalence and similarity in taste and smell to ethanol. Other types of alcohols (for example, isopropyl) are less common, but due to their similarity to edible alcohol and toxic effects on the body, they also pose a considerable danger.

Knowing the main differences between common types of alcohol and ethyl alcohol will allow you to minimize the health risk when drinking alcoholic beverages.

Dangers of Methyl Alcohol

It is worth knowing that methanol does not differ from alcohol in color, taste and smell.

To distinguish drinking alcohol from non-drinking alcohol, appropriate research is required, which is not always done. Very often, based on the belief that it was food alcohol that was purchased, this substance is used internally. The result will be severe poisoning, and in the absence of medical care, death.

In addition to knowing how to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol, and in general, you will need to have information regarding the main effects of methanol on the body, to know the symptoms of poisoning and the means of primary care.

Drinking vodka with methyl alcohol causes the following effects on the body:

• bilateral inflammation of the optic nerve, which can cause blindness;
• damage to the central nervous system;
• damage to the urinary system;
• destructive effect on the protein structures of the body, metabolic disorders.

Symptoms of the following appear shortly after consuming this substance:

• nausea, vomiting, sharp abdominal pain;
• clouding of consciousness;
• visual impairment ("flies" before the eyes);
• headache;
• dizziness;
• increased salivation;
• an increase and then a sharp drop in blood pressure.

Thus, if no action has been taken to distinguish methanol from ethyl alcohol, more serious consequences develop some time after the substance enters the body. The time of onset of such manifestations will depend on the amount of the poisonous substance that has entered the body.

These manifestations include the following:

• visual impairment up to complete blindness;
• the appearance of pain in the legs and head;
• superficial alcoholic coma: speech impairment, gagging, lowering body temperature, spontaneous urination;

deep alcoholic coma: swelling of the eyelids, dilated pupils, lack of response to pain stimuli, respiratory failure, manifestation of seizures and tachycardia.

Attention!

In the absence of medical care and in the case of the use of a significant amount of methyl alcohol, death can occur.

How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol at home

There are several ways to distinguish edible alcohol from technical alcohol at home. Each of them, provided that the experiment is carried out correctly, makes it possible, with a fairly high probability, to distinguish good from bad alcohol. With the same results of several types of tests, it is possible with a high probability to determine the type of substance.

These methods include the following.

Flame color

One of the simplest ways to distinguish drinking alcohol from technical alcohol is to set it on fire. For ethanol, the flame will have a bluish tint, while for methanol it will be greenish.

Reaction with potatoes

When placing peeled potatoes in a container with alcohol, the type of substance can be determined by the change in the color of the vegetable. For the reaction to proceed, it is necessary to soak the potatoes in alcohol for at least two hours. In the event that the color of the potato changes to pink, this indicates methanol.

Boiling temperature

Another way to distinguish industrial alcohol is to control its boiling point. Ethanol boils at 78 ° C, and methyl alcohol already at 64 ° C.

Reaction with baking soda

When mixed with ethanol, baking soda produces an insoluble yellowish precipitate. Methyl alcohol, when dissolved in it, soda remains transparent.

Reaction with potassium permanganate

You can also distinguish medical alcohol if you add a little potassium permanganate to it. In the case of ethanol, this will not cause any visible reaction. The reaction of methyl alcohol will proceed with the release of gas and the smell of formalin.

Formaldehyde test

This method, which makes it possible to distinguish drinking alcohol from methanol, is considered the most reliable.

To carry it out, a red-hot copper wire must be lowered into the alcohol under study. If as a result of this, a pungent smell of formaldehyde is released, then in front of you is methyl alcohol. Ethanol in this reaction gives off the smell of apple cider vinegar.

Lang test

For this method to distinguish technical alcohol from medical alcohol, you will need potassium permanganate, as well as a small container in which you can heat the alcohol.

For the study, you will need to dilute 0.2 g of potassium permanganate in 2 ml of distilled water. Then we heat 50 ml of alcohol to 18 ° C, pour the potassium permanganate solution into it and note the time of the color change of the solution from purple to pink. If it took 10 minutes or more, then most likely you have ethyl alcohol in front of you.

Thus, the question of whether it is possible to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol can be answered positively.

How to distinguish other types of alcohols

There are many poisonous and toxic alcohols, so it is imperative to be able to distinguish them from each other, as well as to distinguish them from other substances with similar characteristics.

How to distinguish isopropyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol does not pose the same level of danger as methyl alcohol, but when consumed in large quantities, it will also have a negative effect on the body. The main reason harmful effects this type of alcohol is the release of acetone during its breakdown in the liver. Also, the chemical composition of this substance causes a sharper onset of intoxication, which lasts much longer than after drinking ethanol.

Isopropyl alcohol can be distinguished from ethyl alcohol by several characteristics:

• odor: pungent, bitter, reminiscent of the smell of disinfectants;
• taste: bittersweet.

How to distinguish chacha from diluted alcohol

It will be much easier to distinguish chacha from diluted alcohol. Since chacha is actually distilled wine, such a product will differ significantly from diluted alcohol in both smell and taste.

Chacha has a rather mild aroma and taste, in contrast to the sharp characteristic aftertaste of alcohol. Therefore, even having tasted a real drink once, it will be easy to distinguish real chacha from diluted alcohol.

How to distinguish vodka from alcohol

Distinguishing vodka from alcohol will be somewhat more difficult. In this case, it all depends on the quality of the product. Quite often, cheap vodka is nothing more than just diluted alcohol, so there can be no difference in this case.

High-quality vodka has a rather mild taste and smell, which differs from the banal solution of alcohol and water. But this only applies to expensive brands. In the case of cheap vodka, there will be no differences for the reason that this is most likely diluted alcohol.

How to distinguish moonshine from alcohol

To distinguish moonshine from alcohol, it is advisable to have an idea of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe smell of homemade alcohol and medical alcohol. Basically, moonshine has an aroma with notes of the raw materials from which it is made, and also, to a certain extent, has the smell of residues. fusel oils... The smell of pure alcohol does not have such impurities. Therefore, in order to be able to distinguish moonshine from diluted alcohol, it is desirable to have an idea about the characteristic smell of alcohol made at home.

How to distinguish alpha alcohol from luxury alcohol

Distinguishing alpha alcohol from luxury alcohol is much more difficult. These brands of alcohols are close enough according to GOSTs and belong to the products of the highest purity. By smell and taste, without appropriate experience, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between these two types of alcohols.

How to distinguish alcohol from phenol

In some cases, it is also required to be able to distinguish alcohols from phenols. In everyday life, pure phenolic compounds are quite rare, but in view of the high danger of such substances for health and life, it is necessary to be able to determine them by organoleptic characteristics.

The main indicator of the presence of a large amount of phenol in any solution is the clearly perceptible smell of gouache. Since this paint contains a significant amount of phenol, it is with it that the smell of this substance is associated.

Phenol is poisonous. Its entry into the body causes severe burns of internal organs, disruption of the nervous, cardiovascular, and urinary systems. At high concentrations or a large amount of ingestion, it is fatal.

To what chemical property distinguishes alcohols from phenols, one can attribute its much less pronounced acidic properties.

How to tell ketone from alcohol

The need to separate the ketone from alcohol at home is most likely not required. At the same time, it is worth knowing that ketones, due to their peculiarities chemical composition are significantly more volatile. In particular, most substances of this group have a boiling point of about 52 degrees.

How to distinguish alcohol from acid

It is possible to distinguish alcohol from acid both by the characteristic smell of the latter, and by its reaction with various substances, for example, metals. Alcohols, unlike acids, do not form new compounds on contact with a metal, which is reflected in a change in the color of the metal surface, and in the case of a high acid concentration, in the destruction of the metal.

26.12.2016 23:23

Tragedies in Norilsk ... 75 deaths ...
From this ... swarms of "baboon" idlers, who call themselves government officials, concerned about their ranked swarms, spitting on the life of the population, from collecting tribute from which they live, there is only one reaction - to prohibit the sale of alcohol-containing substances. For a month. The expected reaction.
By type - how to do it in order to do nothing.

I give practical advice:
And the best thing is not to drink alcohol!
________________________________________________

How to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol
Finding low-quality alcohol in a container and drinking is not so bad. It is much more scary to use methyl alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol. It is very difficult to distinguish them by eye, which leads to frequent poisoning. Methanol is a powerful poison that adversely affects the nervous and vascular systems, as well as vision. If a person survives, they often remain blind. Taking methyl alcohol causes lethargy, headache, general malaise, lower back pain and abdominal pain. Loss of consciousness is possible. Ingestion of 30 to 100 ml of methanol is fatal.

Ethyl and methyl alcohol are exactly the same in taste, smell and color, so it will be quite difficult for an ordinary person to distinguish them. There are several methods for determining what is in front of you - ethanol and methanol. To determine the quality of the alcohol, you can try burning the liquid.

1. Follow the color of the fire. If the alcohol burns with a blue flame, then most likely ethanol is in front of you. Methyl alcohol glows green.

2. The traditional method includes a sample using potatoes. Peel raw potatoes and place a small wedge in a container. After a few hours, it may change its color. If it turns pink, then the test alcohol is methanol. In ethyl alcohol, potatoes practically do not change color.

3. One of the most reliable ways to check the chemical identity of alcohol is a formaldehyde test. Take copper wire and heat it over the fire. Then dip it in liquid. The methanol will give off a strong, unpleasant odor of formaldehyde.
Ethanol in such cases is practically odorless or smells like a faint apple aroma.
Verification methods that are similar in terms of the final result are also used. Moisten a cotton swab with alcohol, set it on fire and extinguish it sharply. You can also add potassium permanganate to the liquid and set it on fire. Determine the presence of alcohol belonging to the ethanol or methanol group based on the above-mentioned emanating odors.

How to tell methanol from ethanol
Outwardly, methanol (industrial alcohol) is very similar to ethyl alcohol. It has about the same density and refractive index (the ability to refract sunlight). Has the same scent and color. Under laboratory conditions, distinguishing methanol from ethanol will not amount to much there. It is more difficult to do this at home. However, there are several ways to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol and without complicated equipment.

You will need
- metal container (mug, turk, etc.),
- copper wire,
- gas burner (a household gas stove is suitable),
- thermometer,
- transparent dishes (glass),
- potassium permanganate.
Instructions

The first way.
1.Place a metal container with the test liquid on a burning gas burner (stove).
2. Measure the temperature at which the liquid begins to boil with a thermometer. Methanol boils at about 64 ° C, ethanol at about 78 ° C.

Second way.
1. Make a small spiral of copper wire. This is necessary to increase the contact surface of copper and the test liquid.
2. Heat the copper wire white, or better - to black: this is the degree of glow when copper oxide begins to form on the surface of the wire.
3. Dip the hot wire into the prepared container with the test liquid.
4. Smell: if the aroma of rotten apples appears, it is ethanol. If there is a sharp, unpleasant and irritating odor to the mucous membrane, it is methanol.

Third way.
1.Pour the test liquid into a transparent container.
2.Add a little potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) to the test liquid.
3. If gas bubbles appear in the liquid, it is methanol. If there are no bubbles and the smell of vinegar is ethanol.

Helpful advice
You can also distinguish ethanol from methanol using the iodoform reaction: when mixing iodine, alkali (sodium hydroxide), ethyl alcohol and water heated to 50 ° C, a yellow precipitate - iodoform - falls out. Methanol does not give such a reaction.

The bubbles released during the interaction of methanol with potassium permanganate are carbon dioxide. And when ethanol is oxidized with potassium permanganate, there is no gas emission - it is formed acetic acid... This is used in the purification of ethanol from methyl alcohol impurities.

In mid-December 2016, the largest methyl hydrate poisoning in post-Soviet history occurred in the Irkutsk region. More than 70 people became victims of the tragedy, and the event itself produced a major international resonance. In connection with the incident, interest has greatly increased in how to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol under normal conditions.

Where does methanol come from in alcohol?

Almost all alcoholic beverages with a high "degree" contain not only drinking ethyl alcohol C 2 H 5 OH , but also the so-called woody - CH 3 OH :

• Its share does not exceed 10% for each liter of quality drink. It binds chemically with ethanol and does not pose any health hazard. However, in artisanal conditions, the production technology can be violated, and the share of "non-potable" liquid can be exceeded several times;
• The reason for the appearance may be not only a violation of the distillation process. Savvy counterfeiters add cheaper toxic substances to increase the strength of the final product;
• It is not possible to determine the content of toxic fractions by taste and smell. Sometimes "fired" vodka is different more turbid consistency... But with colored drinks, everything is much more complicated, so a number of tests will have to be carried out.

How to determine methyl alcohol at home?

Popular methods for determining the quality of alcohol-containing products include:

1. Using a wedge of potatoes. Only freshly peeled fruit is suitable for the test. When dipping a vegetable into a poisonous methyl hydrate it takes on a reddish tint. If high-quality alcohol is poured in the container, but fit for drinking, then the color of their potatoes will hardly change;
2. Find a short piece of copper wire and heat it over low heat for a minute. If the wire is immersed in methanol, then a sharp, pungent and suffocating smell of gas rushes into the nose. methanal;
3. Add a small amount of potassium permanganate to the glass, pour in the alcohol and set it on fire. If there is CH 3 OH in the vessel, the result will be the same corrosive gas as in the previous experiment;
4. Soak a piece of cotton wool generously in liquid, bring it to a burning match and extinguish it immediately. A small but distinguishable volume of the same gas - methanal - will be released.

In this video, technologist Arkady Pilotov will show the reaction of methyl alcohol to manganese crystals, which will happen:

How does methyl alcohol burn?

One of the most popular ways to calculate methyl alcohol is combustion reaction:

• During combustion, methanol combines in proportions 2 to 3 with an oxygen molecule. The transformation results in carbon dioxide and water (moreover, the second substance is formed twice as much);
• A rather large amount of heat is formed: the specific heat of combustion is 22.7 MJ / kg (only 2 times less than that of gasoline);
• For the test, there is no need to set fire to glasses that are full to the brim. An ordinary piece of paper dipped in liquid is enough;
• The flame will have a greenish tint.... For comparison, ethanol will have an exceptionally blue;
• However, the color of the flame cannot be used as reliable evidence: technical additives to the liquid can change color beyond recognition. So, selenium, lead and arsenic give a blue tint. Therefore, it is better to use several methods at once to identify a poison.

How to determine methyl alcohol in alcohol?

The risk of poisoning with low-quality alcohol arises not only when buying moonshine from unfamiliar individuals. You need to be on the alert even when purchasing an expensive branded drink in a large retail chain. It is not uncommon for swill made in artisanal conditions to be found on the shelves of ordinary stores under an expensive label.

Methanol in such a product is rarely contained in its pure form. It is usually mixed with ethanol in different proportions, so the task of detecting toxins becomes much more difficult:

• The combustion test no longer provides accurate data and can even be misleading;
• The method using potassium permanganate is much more reliable: even a pinch of this substance added to methanol will cause a violent reaction with the release of gas bubbles;
• The boiling point is also an indicator: if you add even a small amount of technical alcohol, it will be about 65 degrees (almost 20 degrees lower than that of high-quality alcohol).

None of the tests listed are completely accurate. Blends and additives for expensive counterfeit products can be very sophisticated. That's why reliable information can only be obtained in the laboratory.

To protect your health from low-quality liquor, you need to be careful already in the process of purchasing it:

• Any substance to be taken by mouth should be purchased exclusively at reliable and trustworthy points of sale, large supermarkets and hypermarkets. As such, there can be both serious federal chains and branded stores of local distillery producers;
• The cap on the container must not show any signs of opening. You need to make sure that the tightness has not been broken;
• It is obligatory to have excise stamps with protection against counterfeiting;
• The reverse side contains information about the manufacturer and importer;
• The price must be in line with the market average. Too low cost of a famous foreign brand can serve as an indirect confirmation of counterfeit;
• Most manufacturers take additional protective measures: they seal the cork in a plastic "cocoon", make unique and difficult-to-reproduce labels, etc. Pay attention to this.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning

Even if the drink was bought in the right place and passed all tests for the content of toxic substances, the danger of poisoning remains.

The first signs of intoxication can make themselves felt 12 hours after the binge:

• Strong headache;
• Breathing problems;
• Feeling tired and exhausted, apathy;
• Pain in the stomach and lower back;
• Nausea and vomiting.

At first, these symptoms are similar to an overdose of an ordinary quality product. But in the case of methyl hydrate, the visual and nervous systems are very quickly affected.

When especially painful and pronounced symptoms are found a visit to a doctor is mandatory... Severe intoxication occurs when 10 milliliters of poison is consumed, and a dose three times larger is sufficient for a lethal outcome.

It is not worth pouring out a dangerous substance: it will be useful both for doctors to identify toxic substances and for law enforcement agencies.

Every year, with unenviable regularity, Russia is shaken by the shocking news of mass deaths from low-quality liquor. Even if the school starts teaching how to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol, this will not change the situation. Only with an increase in the culture of consumption of intoxicating drinks can one hope that this problem will be solved.

Experiment: the difference between methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol

In this video, technologist, chemist Vladimir Barinov will tell you about all the known methods for determining methyl alcohol at home: