Ethanol

[Fredxx]

Most evidence suggests it isn't bioaccumulative, first hit:

Can you provide evidence to assist with your claim?

[Chris Hogg]

AIUI wine is oxidised to acetic acid by bacteria, but above a certain strength (e.g. sherry or stronger), the bacteria are either killed or inactivated, I don't know which, so the beverages can be stored without special precautions to exclude air.

[Chris Hogg]

[Paul]

Well, it's not in the list here. Just some chlorinated benzene products.

And the stuff looks pretty safe here. There was other materials we used in the chem building that were as dangerous as the entries here suggest. I don't know if this info was all available, the year the benzene was removed.

Exposure to 150 to 650 ppm for 4 months to 15 years caused pancytopenia (Aksoy et al., 1972; Aksoy & Erdem, 1978). Chronic exposure of up to eight years at a mean benzene concentration of 75 ppm was associated with the development of anemia and leukopenia, but no such association was found at mean exposure concentrations of 15 to 20 ppm for up to 27 years (Kipen et al., 1989).

This was the story I was given at the time, when every bottle of benzene was remove from the chem building.

Looks like it's safer than dry cleaning fluid (living in a dry cleaning plant).

A good time for all, and party on!

My mistake.

Paul

[Jethro_uk]

One of the homebrew forums I used had a subsection for making vinegar.

Seems to be a bit harder than you'd imagine. Which supports my personal experience of never once accidentally making it when making beer and wine.

[Fredxx]

An honest one. I wasn't aware that low level exposure to benzene seems safe.

[The Natural Philosopher]

a few hears ago my now ex made some cider. It got left. It turned into the best cider vinegar ever

[Custos Custodum]

This one's a classic of pseudo-scientific misdirection:

at about 11:20)

It does; it's hygroscopic. But not noticeably so (see above). However, you can't separate them again by simple fractional distillation.

I believe ethanol will dissolve some plastics (e.g., perspex?) though obviously not all, especially not polythene bottles.

[Fredxx]

The consensus is that it does, but not to a marked effect with perspex.

First link I came across:

I'm genuinely surprised with your reply, crazing of perspex with ethanol is well known and I thought you had a chemical background?

[Fredxx]

Do you disagree that where a solvent causes an amorphous polymer to craze, this is because the polymer is principally soluble in it?

[newshound]

This is environmental stress cracking. It's not the polymer being soluble in the solvent. If anything, it could be regarded as the solvent going into solid solution in the polymer, changing its fracture behaviour.

[newshound]

It certainly happens regularly to "real ale" stored in pubs.

[Fredxx]

It's not a coincidence that a film of ethanol on acrylic creates cracks and water and other liquids don't.

I'm going to leave it to you to google *acrylic soluble in ethanol* or

*acrylic soluble in alcohol* and check if the consensus is that acrylic is partially soluble in ethanol.

I did search for *acrylic "solid solution"* but didn't find any meaningful hits. Perhaps you can assist?

[Jethro_uk]

All very well. Meanwhile dedicated home distillers avoid storing alcohol in plastic, and prefer glass.

[Fredxx]

The very link I gave says ethanol does craze acrylic sheet, as do numerous other sites. You can live in denial and ignorance. What it shows is you're not the chemist you think you are.

[Custos Custodum]

I think you'll find that it does.

Maybe we shouldn't get too fixed on the idea of "dissolving". There can be no question that ethanol has a detrimental effect on perspex.

[Fredxx]

Does this mean that all your posts are based on a personal example of one?

You must have been a great chemist on your day. Can't you accept there are more people claiming that ethanol does craze acrylic than who don't?

[Dave Plowman (News]

I'd be surprised to see Perspex used on a car fuel system. ;-)

[Custos Custodum]

"Yours"? What would you need reagent-grade ethanol for? Fortifying your watery beer?

Well, we all know you're a bit "special", Rod.

[Custos Custodum]

My 1963 Mini had a short length of transparent plastic tubing leading up to the carburettor (not perspex, but I can't remember the details). Eventually it hardened and fractured.