Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Get methanol from antifreeze?

Booze - 6-5-2017 at 09:51

I don't want to buy it online, and I know they use it in antifreeze. So how can I extract it from the ethylene glycol?

Melgar - 6-5-2017 at 16:21

Not regular antifreeze, fuel line antifreeze. It comes in this bottle:



Windshield washer fluid also contains about 40% methanol, but the HEET in a yellow bottle is nothing but technical grade methanol. And there's no water in it, because if there was, it would no longer work.

Archenemy_6 - 6-5-2017 at 18:29

^what he said. people use Heet for methanol injections in cars because it's just methanol.

Booze - 7-5-2017 at 16:01

Thanks. I know they do use it in regular antifreeze because I looked at a bottle that said it had methanol in it.

AngelEyes - 8-5-2017 at 05:33

Just go any nearby place that sells biodiesel supplies...you can buy it by the gallon there!

Melgar - 8-5-2017 at 08:43

Quote: Originally posted by AngelEyes  
Just go any nearby place that sells biodiesel supplies...you can buy it by the gallon there!

If you shop around, you can find HEET for $1.49 a bottle in the clearance section this time of year. That's 12 ounces. Ten bottles is about $15, which is 120 ounces. A gallon is 128 ounces. The nearest place that sells methanol by the gallon is a $20, three-hour train ride away. They sell it for $15 a gallon. Worth it for the extra eight ounces? Not exactly.

Also, I bought a bunch of glass bottles with eyedroppers, where the rubber part of the eyedropper disintegrated, so I have a bunch of bottles with no caps. Due to a fortunate coincidence, those bottles are now all back in service, with bright yellow caps. :)

Booze - 8-5-2017 at 08:48

Quote: Originally posted by Melgar  
Quote: Originally posted by AngelEyes  
Just go any nearby place that sells biodiesel supplies...you can buy it by the gallon there!

If you shop around, you can find HEET for $1.49 a bottle in the clearance section this time of year. That's 12 ounces. Ten bottles is about $15, which is 120 ounces. A gallon is 128 ounces. The nearest place that sells methanol by the gallon is a $20, three-hour train ride away. They sell it for $15 a gallon. Worth it for the extra eight ounces? Not exactly.

Also, I bought a bunch of glass bottles with eyedroppers, where the rubber part of the eyedropper disintegrated, so I have a bunch of bottles with no caps. Due to a fortunate coincidence, those bottles are now all back in service, with bright yellow caps. :)


I work at a hardware store. We carry it.

MrHomeScientist - 8-5-2017 at 09:45

Be sure to get the blue bottle, not the red one. The red is ISO-HEET, and is isopropanol.

Melgar - 8-5-2017 at 12:02

Quote: Originally posted by MrHomeScientist  
Be sure to get the blue bottle, not the red one. The red is ISO-HEET, and is isopropanol.

In the US, the methanol comes in a yellow bottle. Are you in Switzerland by any chance?

MrHomeScientist - 8-5-2017 at 12:16

Quote: Originally posted by Melgar  
Quote: Originally posted by MrHomeScientist  
Be sure to get the blue bottle, not the red one. The red is ISO-HEET, and is isopropanol.

In the US, the methanol comes in a yellow bottle. Are you in Switzerland by any chance?


No I'm US too. Sorry, what I meant to say was the blue label. Both products are yellow bottles but the labels are different.

Edit: I searched for a picture and the only ones I can find do actually come in a red bottle. I could have sworn the local ones were in yellow bottles with red lettering instead of blue.


[Edited on 5-8-2017 by MrHomeScientist]

Melgar - 8-5-2017 at 12:52

Quote: Originally posted by MrHomeScientist  
No I'm US too. Sorry, what I meant to say was the blue label. Both products are yellow bottles but the labels are different.

Edit: I searched for a picture and the only ones I can find do actually come in a red bottle. I could have sworn the local ones were in yellow bottles with red lettering instead of blue.

To be fair, you seem to have accurately remembered the colors of the labels! ;) However, I've only ever seen the methanol variety in yellow bottles, and the isopropanol variety in red ones. Although HEET-brand isopropanol fuel line deicer has lubricants in it, many store-brand isopropanol deicers are just straight anhydrous isopropanol, which could be a useful source if you need it ever. There's a salon supply store near me that sells pure isopropanol for $20/gallon, or $5.99/quart, so I haven't had to search for another source for that recently.

Incidentally, Wal-Mart sells a 4-pack of methanol HEET for $4.61, which drops the price below the price of methanol at the local racetrack. ($15/gallon)