distilling ethanol

[Von Klemmung]

Nitromethane is a component of "hot" model aircraft fuel.

[budullewraagh]

"Methanol is a poison and buing it requires you to get a poison certificate from your local police station.

 

I'm not sure about "Nitro", meaning Nitromethane in model aviator circles.

 

Considering it being a main ingredient in several (impossible to make) explosive mixtures, I guess you'd have to sign your name as O. B. Laden to get a waiver."

 

methanol can be purchased around here as antifreeze. i think nitromethane can be purchased, although it isn't too effective for making other explosives. usually nitric acid is used to make secondary explosives.

[jdurg]

"Methanol is a poison and buing it requires you to get a poison certificate from your local police station.

 

I'm not sure about "Nitro"' date=' meaning Nitromethane in model aviator circles.

 

Considering it being a main ingredient in several (impossible to make) explosive mixtures, I guess you'd have to sign your name as O. B. Laden to get a waiver."

 

methanol can be purchased around here as antifreeze. i think nitromethane can be purchased, although it isn't too effective for making other explosives. usually nitric acid is used to make secondary explosives.[/quote']

 

Methanol really isn't used in antifreeze since it is far too volatile and will vaporize almost instantly. Ethylene glycol is used as antifreeze since it has a large liquid range and its boiling point is quite high. If you were to use methanol as an antifreeze, your car would probably seize up shortly after turning it on. Methanol is, however, used in windshield washer fluid since it will lower the freezing point of the water and since it's so volatile it will just vaporize away and not cause any real problems in terms of environmental toxicity.

[budullewraagh]

well, methanol is used as an antifreeze, as i have a container in my basement marketed as an antifreeze.

[YT2095]

 

I'm not sure about "Nitro"' date=' meaning Nitromethane in model aviator circles.

 

i think nitromethane can be purchased, although it isn't too effective for making other explosives. [/quote']

 

it is, you can be sure.

 

it is VERY effective! think binary explosives such as Kinepak

[budullewraagh]

well i was talking about things like nitrations.

[ike]

In model car/plane and drag racing groups, "Nitro" is indeed nitromethane.

YT is right about nitro being used in explosives. For all practical purposes,

it's hypergolic when it comes into contact with bases - especially NaOH !

 

Methanol is usually mixed in WINTER versions of windshield wiper fluid. Look

for "Jolly Roger" type poison warning on the bottle. Methanol is also used

as paint thinner and as a gasoline "dryer" to lockup water that has gotten

into the fuel.

 

Booze can be dehydrated by pouring it through anhydrous rock salt. It

works well for those who possess the BATFE license to distill ethanol as an

"experimental fuel". Salt is nearly insoluble in ethanol but absorbs the

water from the azeotrope. Also rock salt can be dried out in the sun and

reused.

[Invader_Gir]

Back on topic, I tried to get some pure ethonol the other day. I took a mixture of gin and vodka, placed into a distilling flask and fitted with a liebig. Didnt take too long to get to boiling temp. When I wafted the distillate, it smelled just like gin/vodka. Did I just distill everything over? Or the ethanol and impurities. Thanks.

[Silencer]

^What temperature did you boil it at? You want it to be just over the BP of ethanol.

 

What sort of objects can I use from the home to do distillation?

[akcapr]

a pan and a stove, assuming u dont want to collect the evaporating liquid.

[akcapr]

If u do want to collect it get a pan of ice,and hold it over the boiling pan. THe liquid u want to collect will condense and rtun down into a bowl. But it is much easier with labware.