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PlatinumCal99
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HEET as a source for methanol
Has anyone here ever used HEET as their source for methanol? I know that the main component (99%?) of HEET is methanol, but according to their site
they put in other "special additives". Does anyone know what these other additives might be, or have any experience where they could make a guess?
Thanks
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joeflsts
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I have used Heet for Methanol. Becareful not to use ISOHEET since it is isopropyl and not methanol.
The MSDS for HEET states that the boiling point is 148 F (65C)
Methanol's boiling point is: 64.5C (147F)
You will also notice the MSDS only lists Methanol.
http://zenstoves.net/MSDS/MSDSHeet.htm#SECTION_III_-_Physical/Chemical_Characteristics
Joe
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Sauron
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I take it we are talking something of the Sterno sort?
Hardcore street bums used to call Sterno "squeeze" because they would do just that to extrace the methanol from the jelly like Sterno for drinking.
Ugh. Pass the formaldehyde.
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dapper
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HEET is an additive for automobiles to 'remove water' from the gas/fuel lines... hope that helps
That's insane, by the way..
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joeflsts
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sauron
I take it we are talking something of the Sterno sort?
Hardcore street bums used to call Sterno "squeeze" because they would do just that to extrace the methanol from the jelly like Sterno for drinking.
Ugh. Pass the formaldehyde. |
Heet is a fuel line dryer - should one decide to drink it they won't need to worry about driving.
Joe
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PlatinumCal99
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Great, thanks for the replies guys.
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chemrox
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What counrty are you in? I bought a gallon of methanol at Home Depot last week (USA). Also bought acetone and ethanol denatured with methanol.
Xylene(s) toluene also available. MEK too!
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PlatinumCal99
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I'm in the US. The local Home Depot does not have methanol  , but they do have
everything else you mentioned.
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bereal511
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| Quote: |
What counrty are you in? I bought a gallon of methanol at Home Depot last week (USA). Also bought acetone and ethanol denatured with methanol.
Xylene(s) toluene also available. MEK too!
Originally posted by chemrox |
Which part of the US are you in? I've never seen methanol at the Home Depot in all the times I've been there.
As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life -- so I became a
scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls.
-- Matt Cartmill
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MagicJigPipe
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Wal-mart has heet (supposedly 99%)! Regular and Iso! And if they have it where I live (meth country) then surely they have it elsewhere in the US.
I often thought of using the isoheet as a source for 99% isopropanol but I would like to know what the proprietary mixture is (synthetic oil you
say?)! Guess, I could just distill it like everything else.
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evil_lurker
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I ger mine from the local tire shop that handles tractor tires. Just tell them you want to make biodiesel and would like to buy 5 gallons.
Should set you back $20 or so.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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smuv
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One thing about heet, sure it is 99% methanol, but it does have an additive, that upon evaporation yields an oily residue. You can quickly see this
fact, by taking about a cap-full of heet and burning it, this additive will remain at the bottom of the container as a little oily droplet. If you
are using this methanol for sensitive reactions I would recommend purification via a quick distillation to remove this proprietary additive.
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MagicJigPipe
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Yes, lately I have come into a lot of sodium hydroxide under the guise of making biodiesel. Even some of the distributors who wouldn't sell to me
before will now sell to me when I say I'm making biodiesel. It seems when a chemical becomes part of a legal "fad" it becomes completely accepted as
legit.
Wouldn't it be great if phosphorus was found to be essential in the purification of biodiesel? I know... just dreaming.....
[Edited on 11-11-2007 by MagicJigPipe]
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Mumbles
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Back a few years ago I distilled some Heet for methanol. It came over just fine. As with anything I discarded the first few mL, and left some liquid
in the flask to make sure I didn't boil it dry. I'm sure I had enough methanol to keep whatever oily substance is in there dissolved, but upon adding
water to said residual liquid it turned rather milky and cloudy. It looked almost to have a blue tint, but it is hard to say for sure from memory.
The additive is said to be an anti-rusting agent or something to that effect if memory serves me.
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S.C. Wack
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Given these posts and a desire to clean the SS packing in a Hempel column due to an accident that left it coated with carbon and a little
carbon-trapped high-boiling product, I distilled 2.5 L of this, the last 500 ml fractionally. Not that there were any fractions. Only at 10 ml
remaining in the 1 L flask did the temperature start falling - which is hardly surprising, given that the column only lagged and not heated. This
remainder dissolved easily and without cloudiness in water save for my product (which has a distinctive benzaldehydish odor), and for all I know was
methanol contaminated with the crap that I was trying to remove. I'll try an entirely fractional and more complete distillation next time I buy some.
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prole
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This has been touched on, but here's my experience. I simple distilled 4L of Heet to obtain purer methanol, and what was left in the distilling flask
was a gold/green fluid full of small white particles. The residue was oily/viscous and insoluble in water.
99% IPA can be obtained in one or five gallon cans at paper suppliers that cater to the printing industry. I just walk in and say I have a small
press shop, if they ask. They never do. I used to work at this chain of suppliers many years ago and we never asked any questions other than 'will
that be all?'. Other press operating chems had neat stuff like benzyl alcohol in them. Interesting to note, though, that twice while I was there the
Secret Service arrived unannounced and wanted to view the records of anyone who bought certain papers and inks, but never inquired about chemical
purchases (not their juristiction).
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shadow
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I'm baffled at the need to aquire methanol with so much trouble when it's available at your local speed shop. I've had 5 gallons under my desk for
about ten years for my model aircraft, and now that I'm getting into home science projects, I think I'll just clean it up a little.
shadouex
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MagicJigPipe
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There are people in different parts of the world here. MeOH is harder to get in some places. In my area (southern US) MeOH is associated with
methamphetamine manufacture making it "suspicious".
What's a "speed" shop? The name is funny given what methanol is used for around here! I assume you mean some kind of hobby store, right?
"There must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry ... There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any
question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors. ... We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it and
that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. And we know that as long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think,
free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost, and science can never regress." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
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shadow
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No, they build sprint cars for circle track racing in Los Angeles. That was certainly the wrong choice of word.
I'm pretty sure I've bought it in hobby shops for model aircraft fuel as well.
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MadHatter
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Methanol
"Speed Shop" refers to shops that specialise in high-performance automotive products.
This usually includes methanol for BB funny cars and rails. Sometimes they'll carry nitromethane
for AA class although that's rare. As an example, I bought nitromethane from a speed shop in
Virginia. This is their website if you're interested:
http://www.worldwideracingfuels.com
If you're really that hardpressed for methanol and have the equipment, you could reflux
distill winter version windshield washer fluid. Some of these contain as much as 50% CH3OH
and, AFAIK, CH3OH doesn't form an azeotrope with water. As for "winter" version, just look
for skull-and-crossbones, poisonous label on the container.
[Edited on 2008/3/22 by MadHatter]
From opening of NCIS New Orleans - It goes a BOOM ! BOOM ! BOOM ! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !
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shadow
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Yah! madhatter, I bought a drum of nitromethane from those guys in 1995 for $1000, and shared it with all my model aircraft friends for fuel. I had to
pick it up at the Winternationals in Pomona, and I still have a couple gallons.
They only want $1100, I just looked, or $50 for 1 gallon.
[Edited on 27-3-2008 by shadow]
[Edited on 27-3-2008 by shadow]
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SuperOxide
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I don't like posting in old threads - But I was researching this as well (HEET as MeOH source), because when I used it to make anhydrous zinc
chloride, after evaporating the MeOH, the product was slightly discolored and smelled a little like hydrocarbon solvents (ie: heptane).
I was told that HEET is basically just pure MeOH, but after this, I fractionally distilled about 1L of it keeping only what came over at 64.0-64.9
°C, then I evaporated what was left over in the distillation pot to see what would remain. It's definitely not pure.
I took some photos, here's one of them:
It was dark in color, pretty thick, only somewhat soluble in water (so there was probably more than 1 constituent there), and smelled like
heptane/fuel.
So if anyone else is researching this - HEET works ok for certain things, but do keep in mind there is some impurities in there. So if you use it as a
solvent then evaporate it all off, this crap will be left over.
[Edited on 6-11-2021 by SuperOxide]
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Morgan
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Aside from methanol and sometimes nitromethane sold at speed shops, it's funny to see all kinds of fruit scent fragrances for sale to add to your
fuel.
https://www.smileysracing.com/shopping/productdetails.aspx?i...
"A much needed item for many drivers that have a difficult time dealing with the nauseating odors of an alcohol fueled vehicle. Enjoy a pleasant scent
with less irritation to the eyes and nose. Availability in 4 oz. bottles, one bottle treats 20 gallons of Gasoline, Nitromethane or 30-55 gallons of
Methanol."
http://www.motorsportsracingfuels.com/Fragrances.html
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SuperOxide
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Dafuq? lol. I didn't know that, that's hilarious.
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monolithic
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I noticed the same impurity in Heet, but it never seems to come over in distillation. No idea what the impurity is, it doesn't show up on this NMR: https://ilrc.ucf.edu/sample_detail.php?sample_id=443
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