Extemporaneous hand sanitizer.

[John_j]

Pot stills are much simpler and you don?t need a reflux still for this alcohol.

[John_j]

Still is and neat alcohol now. Mate of mine was offered some in Jan there, just before he returned here at the end of Jan with considerable difficulty getting out of china.

[Stephen]

What ratio of isopropyl alcohol to aloe vera gel would you use?

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

michael adams submitted this idea :

Idea is if you have touched a suspect surface, make sure you wash your hands before then touching any part of your face. The principle is one of preventing germs from contact with surfaces, being transferred to your eyes or mouth, where they then get easy access to your lungs.

[Thomas Prufer]

"Flaming B-52"!

Thomas Prufer

[Thomas Prufer]

Apparently you need the reflux for the modern fast ("turbo") yeasts.

14% in 24 hours, 20% in 5 days. ISTR seeing up to 24% alc/vol advertised.

However, the speed comes at the cost of a multitude of off flavors and oils, and needs the reflux to make it drinkable, i.e. 94-96% without the off flavors (or any other flavor).

Thomas Prufer

[Chris Hogg]

Because the shops have run out everywhere?

[Chris Hogg]

A reflux still will give you much purer alcohol than a pot still, and with a higher concentration of alcohol, especially if you put a thermometer into the top of the fractionating column and only start collecting the distillate after the thermometer reaches about 78°c. Before that temperature it's the methanol that's distilling over, and not something you want to be drinking.

But for hand sanitising, I don't see that it matters whether you've got pure ethanol or a mix of ethanol, methanol and off-flavours.

[Roger Hayter]

I am told of a recommendation for 3:2 but I really have no idea what the evidence is. 60-70% alcohol seems common for hand gels.

[Roger Hayter]

But, of course, you only need the alcohol if you haven't got running water available to wash your hands. The gel is sufficiently unpleasant that it is best to wash your hands as soon as possible to remove the residue.

[Roger Hayter]

You can. And normally do, when it hasn't all been cleared from the shops by panic buying.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is in fact the point. If you want to really sterilise your hands, wash them in bleach. Or Dettol or any other of a number of pretty vicious anti-viral and anti-bacterial chemicals

Soap is pretty good. Its what surgeons use IIRC

[nothanks]

Yes, I'd taken Brian's comment as referring to a home-made hand wash when out of the home. On a recent shopping trip I was conscious of all the things that had to be touched, ending with the car door and steering wheel. Unless we start wearing surgical gloves it's hard to see how gels and hand washing will make much difference unless everyone does it ... and many people won't. I was surprised that a young junior doctor friend said that they were not changing anything about the way they act. To quote an old TV character, with a Scots accent: "we're doomed!"

[michael adams]

And how exactly do you identify a suspect surface ?

Aren't all surfaces in public places susceptible to contamination by potential carriers ?

That's the point.

The virus can last on hard surfaces for up to ten minutes and so the coughers and sneezers could be well gone before you come on the scene, leaving all their spores behind.

Maybe you have to carry a backpack of the stuff around with you like they do with weedkiller sprays.

As It happens while walking along the road this morning I saw my first

" Woman at a bus stop getting out a bottle of pink stuff from her bag and rubbing her hands with it". Presumably *before getting on a bus*.

I was almost tempted to walk over the road, join the queue behind her and start coughing loudly.

As it happens because of the exposure and proximity values which have been suggested, 15 mins 2 metres the supposition now is that a lot of contamination will actually take place within families.

michael adams

...

[Robin]

No, only some of us. Eg I think there's a very good chance indeed that Adam and John will be left to agree between themselves who turns out the lights.

[Chris Hogg]

Yes, you're right. Most Vodkas seem to be around the 38 - 40% ABV.

[Jeff Layman]

They use Povidone-Iodine to sterilise their hands. Iodine acts similarly to chlorine.

[Jethro_uk]

IIRC It has to be at least 40% abv to be called "Vodka". (And mysteriously almost all common vodkas are exactly 40% ...)

I can get to just over 80% using my pot still ... I wouldn't drink it, but it cleans hands.

[Andrew]

Buckies ?.

[tabbypurr]

And P-I is mostly alcohol.

NT