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Author: Subject: Removing denaturing agents from alcohol
Fyndium
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[*] posted on 29-7-2020 at 21:06


So the NaOH method does work? It seems like the most straightforward method in this instance.

Activated carbon does work at least with moonshine, it seems to be widely used in brewing forums.
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draculic acid69
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[*] posted on 29-7-2020 at 23:39


Quote: Originally posted by karlos³  
I have to add something.
Here, I have cheap MEK and denatonium benzoate denatured EtOH available(Germany, but you need to choose the right brand, this was AHK Spiritus).
I distill that twice over NaOH usually.
Once, I thought to myself, that it smells clean like wodka, and I tasted some off the tip of my finger.
It tasted like VERY strong wodka, and I thought "the early chemists tasted really worse things, lets check it!".
And so I did.
Diluted with coke it tasted just like wodka :P
So if you have the right clean brand, MEK is easily removed with the self-aldol condensation.
You need to distill carefully though.


This sounds good but in my country the metho as we call it
seems to contain a third impurity that clouds the processed alcohol when diluted down to 40% with water.does your "very strong vodka" also do this?

[Edited on 30-7-2020 by draculic acid69]
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Fyndium
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[*] posted on 5-10-2020 at 06:21


Why does this happen when distilling 2% MEK denatured ethanol over NaOH?

A layer is formed to the bottom of the flask which is usually clear, and white solid remains at the bottom. The above ethanol layer, which boils at constant 80C and has vapor temp of 78C constant during the whole process, turns gradually to yellow or even brownish.

The picture is the residue from distillation run in 1L flask of 2 liters of once distilled ethanol (in order to remove the wiper fluid additives).

The distillate shows exact 96% of alcometer reading at ntp.

naetoh.jpg - 194kB

[Edited on 5-10-2020 by Fyndium]
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stoichiometric_steve
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[*] posted on 5-10-2020 at 06:55


Quote: Originally posted by Fyndium  
The above ethanol layer, … turns gradually to yellow or even brownish.


It most likely contains the self-condensation products of MEK.
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[*] posted on 5-10-2020 at 07:05


Wow, and here i believed this trick would certainly have featured in the first 28 replies, i have used it often to dry ethanol and then to clean out the denaturants. It comes from Vogel and its simply distiling ethanol (and its small percentage of denaturants and water) from an al amalgum, after refluxing, i usually allow a 15minute relfux before switching.
The al is reacting with the solvent and denaturants, the heat of reaction drives the reflux, and simply as there is more ethanol than anything else...well the logic is simple.
Care needs to be taken to ensure no liquid entrained in the vapours reaches the condensor, but this is simple and common lab technique.
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