Ok, my local drug store has alcohol in three forms.
Ethel 70%
Isopropal 70%
Isopropal 90%(or 95%, I forget)

I know the 90%-95% stuff is for injection prep. and such.
But what is the diferance between the Ethel and Isopropal 70% stuff?
I thought that the Ethel was the drinkable kind, but this stuff has the same simi-poisonous adatives as the Isopropal.

What are the different types used for?

Are there any other uses for the 90%-95% stuff than injection prep?


I would have asked this at the First Aid Cafe' but they seem to be for professionals...

I think you mean 70% ethanol, aka ethyl alcohol? AFAIK it's used as a disinfectant - and unless it is "de-natured" (denatured), it IS drinking alcohol (140 proof grain alcohol) and would have an excise tax on it - so it probably has a denaturing agent added. Pure ethanol is extremely hygroscopic - it will suck water right out of the air if left open. There are special dehumidifiers that use that principle, IIRC. Edit: dis-remembered the alcohols - it's triethylene glycol - see http://tinyurl.com/5s6sf end edit

HTH,

Tom

I use the 90% for crouch rot itch relief.

I have found that "Head & Shoulders" dandruff shampoo works very well for eliminating and forestalling episodes of crouch rot itch and is a lot cheaper than remedies designed and sold for that purpose. The generic dandruff shampooes do not seem to work as well for croutch rot itch.

Bountyhunter

They were both denatured but they had the 70% in both Ethyl and Isopropal.... I was just wandering what the diferances were and wether one was better for some things than the other...

Let me see if my memory banks are currently working.

Ethel (ethyl) 70%: Commonly referred to as grain alcohol. In this form it is drinkable (for those who drink), but at least in the US is taxable and a controlled substance (no one under the age of 21 can have it in their procession / some states or jurisdictions “to have an open container” or “to have consumed”). To get around this restriction and the taxable nature, companies will “denature” with (IIRC) acetone, making it severely toxic to ingest.


Isopropal (Isopropyl) 70% this concentration is generally what is used to “disinfect” or prepare a site for injection. Non-taxable and not a controlled substance. Toxic to ingest. I just grabbed a “preinjection skin cleansing pad” for the lab and it is “saturated with 70% isopropyl alcohol”


Isopropal (Isopropyl) 90% (or 95%, I forget) this concentration is generally used to make up various laboratory reagents for use in a variety of testing including PCR testing.

There is also an absolute ethyl alcohol (100& or 200 proof) laboratory grade available, which is taxable (nontaxable for use in the lab), but is a controlled substance that whose use requires the use of a usage logbook.

Pete

There must be varying strengths of this "ethel". I have a couple of half-pints of "Everclear" stashed away for a rainy day that are marked "190 Proof" which I guess would make it 95% ethel. Of course, it is to be used for medical emergencies only! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Regards, Vince

Ok, that is strange...The stuff my drugstore had, had the 90% Isopropal labled 'for injection prep.'

Is there any advantages of using one or the other for first aid purposes, or emergancy heating, etc...

Both kinds of alcohol will pull water out of the air, so if it's above a certain percentage alcohol, it won't be for long. The kind you get at the gas station as fuel anti-freeze is supposed to be very dry- I don't know the percentage, but you're not supposed to use it if it's been opened, because then you'll just be adding water to the tank, instead of taking it out like it's supposed to. The stuff in the yellow bottle is ethyl or methyl, and can eat the rubber seals in the systems of some cars- the red bottle is isopropyl and is supposed to be safer.

I did a google and came up with this document:
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~russ/MSDS/ethanol_denatured.htm

It has not only what the different alcohols are, but how they are toxic and treatments. Kinda cool.

The different types of alcohol are derived from slightly different fermenting substances, like grain(ethyl common), wood(methyl common), cotton(methyl acetate) and others. Anything that can ferment produces alcohol in some form, even milk. Khumiss anyone?


Rena <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

i think its the Pyrithione Zinc in there, but i agree with you.
that and some gold bond keeps you decent there.