How to make anhydrous ethanol (100% alcohol)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2015
  • In this video we will be making some 100% Ethanol from 95% Ethanol. I use molecular sieves but other drying agents can be used. I just like sieves the most.
    I am in the process of making a patreon account for donations. I am slow so the page is only partially done. Several people requested that a make one. I'll add rewards and stuff later because I'm honestly not sure what to put there yet.
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    Nile talks about lab safety: • Chemistry is dangerous.
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ความคิดเห็น • 3.7K

  • @1HeartCell
    @1HeartCell 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12638

    Also known in labs as "the good stuff".

    • @subhrodeepsaha9245
      @subhrodeepsaha9245 3 ปีที่แล้ว +129

      Absolutely right! 👍👌

    • @eurovision50
      @eurovision50 3 ปีที่แล้ว +364

      Omg, totally, haha! I have fond memories of my lab ethanol and diet coke days.

    • @eurovision50
      @eurovision50 3 ปีที่แล้ว +301

      @@abhishaiyasonaimuthu9131 Me and my lab partners certainly did, haha!

    • @stephensteele3553
      @stephensteele3553 3 ปีที่แล้ว +285

      @@abhishaiyasonaimuthu9131 pretty common actually. My partners and I have a set of very small breakers that are only used for consumption. We would never use them otherwise because they are too small to be useful for us. Anyway, we keep absolute ethanol that has no bittering agents in hand for various extractions. When we've had a good day, we all take a shot.

    • @imamgiuseppe5103
      @imamgiuseppe5103 3 ปีที่แล้ว +78

      Cabinet 9 on the left

  • @SIStefanov
    @SIStefanov 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7722

    When I was in highschool I was in a chemistry club. I joined due to a girl I liked. Chemistry was fun and obv. I still love it, but my work is unrelated to the field. One time we had the task to ferment some grapes into a sort of wine then seperate the alcohol and later further destill it into 100% ethanol. This was a whole semester wide project that took many sessions time and effort on the whole club (6 people incl. the teacher). I remember very clearly when we had the 100% ethanol and how happy we were to achieve our goal. I remember filtering the ethanol with the m. sieves through a coffee filter. I remember washing the sieves with distilled water. I remember realising that I just dilluted the batch to less then 50% and so destroyed two weeks of work. That day I realized that I am just slightly, but definitively a moron.

    • @jonathanodude6660
      @jonathanodude6660 4 ปีที่แล้ว +197

      do americans not use vacuum filters or what?

    • @DreStyle
      @DreStyle 4 ปีที่แล้ว +966

      You tried and learned...
      Don't call yourself a moron...
      You never make such a mistake again...
      Its just a learning process..
      Its good you saw your mistake but don't ever say you are a moron... 😉

    • @ramlover33
      @ramlover33 3 ปีที่แล้ว +441

      Should have realized you’re a moron if you were willing to join a club just because of a girl

    • @DimT670
      @DimT670 3 ปีที่แล้ว +391

      Man you did cool stuff in class. We just had a teacher explain chemistry as dry as if it was math

    • @gangeshkurmi9966
      @gangeshkurmi9966 3 ปีที่แล้ว +131

      That is some fun experiment.
      At my school safety was not taken that seriously though.
      We did the carbylamine reaction once, and produced a lot of isocyanide.
      Had to stay out of the lab for a whole day after that, but it was fun.

  • @mjallen1308
    @mjallen1308 2 ปีที่แล้ว +475

    I’m so glad I found this! I’ve been needing to make 100% ethanol as well for no reason. I don’t have any of the equipment or the money to buy any of the ingredients, including the ethanol, but it’s good to have the instructions on hand just in case.

    • @xNathan2439x
      @xNathan2439x 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      You ever get around to it l? Can I borrow 5 dollars yet?

    • @toughenupfluffy7294
      @toughenupfluffy7294 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      A bottle of Everclear is ~$20.

    • @FunctionallyLiteratePerson
      @FunctionallyLiteratePerson 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​​@@toughenupfluffy7294I'm pretty sure everclear is 95% which is the percentage nigel starts at

    • @Outlawstar0198
      @Outlawstar0198 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Any luck??

    • @PrimumQualia
      @PrimumQualia 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      What about now?

  • @ContextEffects
    @ContextEffects 2 ปีที่แล้ว +358

    0:16
    Fun fact, undergraduate labs sometimes include additives that make anyone who would attempt to ingest the alcohol puke it up faster than they would with actual alcohol, so at the undergrad level it wouldn't necessarily be 100% anyway, azeotrope or no azeotrope.

    • @mattmoy2000
      @mattmoy2000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +94

      At least that's what they tell the undergrads...

    • @Kricnit
      @Kricnit ปีที่แล้ว

      100% ethanol is poisonous.

    • @gandalf8216
      @gandalf8216 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@mattmoy2000 Feed some to the class mascot gerbil, observe the results.

    • @Michael-ze1yn
      @Michael-ze1yn ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Fun fact, you can get drunk off most alcohols. Propanol, butanol, isopropyl, you name it. Moreover, as the number of carbons increases, the more intense the drunk feeling is. 1 ounce of isopropyl could have you floored in 30-60 minutes. Then of course there is methanol which metabolizes to formate and destroys the optic nerve among other things.

    • @intensecutn
      @intensecutn ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@DingDingTheTH-camBuddy one tastes much worse than the other.

  • @Diegovnia
    @Diegovnia 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7329

    My pharmacy sells 95% alcohol... [Laughs in Polish where literally every corner shop sells 95% alcohol]

    • @jjbulik
      @jjbulik 3 ปีที่แล้ว +658

      As a Polish I drank 95% spirit one too many times 😂 I burnt my oesophagus and now I have stomach ulcers 😅

    • @Diegovnia
      @Diegovnia 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @Dennis Young What's shellac?

    • @felipechujoza9755
      @felipechujoza9755 3 ปีที่แล้ว +143

      @Dennis Young Nah, the reason for having 95% alcohol in almost every store is definitely not shellac.
      Personally, I use it for this:
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalewka

    • @skill3472
      @skill3472 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Siema byq

    • @rootbeerconnoisseur6104
      @rootbeerconnoisseur6104 3 ปีที่แล้ว +115

      I'm sure in Poland, 95% alcohol is available in every corner drugstore, but in the US, it's a little hard to come by.

  • @Scott.E.H
    @Scott.E.H 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10876

    Finally, a drink strong enough for Norse Gods.

    • @rogueanuerz
      @rogueanuerz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +300

      101%

    • @iambumbo7534
      @iambumbo7534 4 ปีที่แล้ว +220

      *demoman wants to know the whiskey*

    • @PLF...
      @PLF... 4 ปีที่แล้ว +167

      Aged for a thousand years

    • @trevornorton2531
      @trevornorton2531 4 ปีที่แล้ว +116

      See you in Valhalla I am going to drink the whole bottle

    • @OkieDokieSmokie
      @OkieDokieSmokie 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @Vanargand Don't bother with him. He can't formulate a proper sentence so you know he's definitely not white and obviously trolling.

  • @sandygehrmann6309
    @sandygehrmann6309 3 ปีที่แล้ว +331

    Take a shot of ethanol every time he says "sieves"

    • @BillAnt
      @BillAnt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Also for "molecular". ;D

    • @abdullahwaris1275
      @abdullahwaris1275 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Thank you for your suggestion.
      Also unrelated but you got any spare liver someone could borrow?

    • @High_Lord_Of_Terra
      @High_Lord_Of_Terra 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Seevs

    • @rubywest5166
      @rubywest5166 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      C’vs

    • @isodoubIet
      @isodoubIet 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Sieve Palpatine

  • @Jazz-ji9zu
    @Jazz-ji9zu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Another of your experiments that I cant wait to try! Thanks for always providing great projects and fun things we can try at home with just a little bit of effort! My clear wood continues to impress people and I intend to try it again soon. Thanks again, NileRed!

  • @jonathandemiguel1458
    @jonathandemiguel1458 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1607

    You missed some ethanol at the filter. Try washing it with a bit of distilled water!

    • @yeetusfetus8687
      @yeetusfetus8687 3 ปีที่แล้ว +76

      LOL

    • @adelbudeiri9547
      @adelbudeiri9547 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      😂😂

    • @ElectricGun100
      @ElectricGun100 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      I did that and the whole thing exploded

    • @endriwbarbosa6246
      @endriwbarbosa6246 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      thanks for the advice bro

    • @getmeoutofsanfrancisco9917
      @getmeoutofsanfrancisco9917 3 ปีที่แล้ว +252

      Lol there is a story in the comments of dude doing exactly this in his high school chemistry class and realizing just how much he fucked up

  • @StrokeMahEgo
    @StrokeMahEgo 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5429

    alright gentlemen we have pure ethanol, time to get wasted!

    • @gibbyace5077
      @gibbyace5077 7 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      ***** FUN!

    • @StrokeMahEgo
      @StrokeMahEgo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      +Eddie1967 party pooper

    • @StrokeMahEgo
      @StrokeMahEgo 7 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      +Eddie1967 haha I already know that 100% is something to be avoided. people have enough issues with the lower concentrations anyway...

    • @Kami.Smoke.420
      @Kami.Smoke.420 7 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      +Eddie1967 i love drinking Bacardi 151 strait but it supper fucked my stomach- cant hold down food now with out feeling like im about to puke- death Isn't the only negative possibility
      So those if you that can afford to drink more of the more diluted liquor do it vs 80% pure
      I drank a pint a day for a year
      But because i was broke and it was the strongest cheapest liquor
      If i could afford 4 pints of jin a day that would be way less harmful

    • @bjbseperd
      @bjbseperd 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      fucked up if true

  • @mrfushiante
    @mrfushiante ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I just realized how old this video is... this is being filmed in his dads garage lol
    im so happy his parents were so supportive of him... bc look how far hes come and where hes at today!
    thx mom n dad

  • @twicebittenthasme5545
    @twicebittenthasme5545 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Always diverse...always interesting! I wish you teach other yt'ers your methods of work, presentation and enough pertinent information as instructions and safety precautions to make each video unique and a pleasure to watch!
    Thank you for sharing, yet again!#!

  • @vertical7747
    @vertical7747 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4344

    My brother drank the fortnite juice under the sink and now he won’t wake up

  • @Alien0P
    @Alien0P 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1890

    2019: Let's use the alcohol to make moonshine
    2020: Let's use the alcohol to make hand sanitizer

    • @0q2628
      @0q2628 3 ปีที่แล้ว +161

      Let's use the hand sanitizer to make moonshine

    • @apismellifera1906
      @apismellifera1906 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      _roman420 that one dumbass who hoarded thousands of hand sanitizer to resell on amazon but rejected can do that for sure

    • @alysacountryman4982
      @alysacountryman4982 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      how do y’all even understand this i am so confused

    • @apismellifera1906
      @apismellifera1906 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Snarky . Live they seized his hand sanitizer? That’s beyond satisfying

    • @StormsparkPegasus
      @StormsparkPegasus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I know this was a joke but you actually don't want to go above 60% for hand sanitizer, >60% is less effective.

  • @edlibey8177
    @edlibey8177 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for the video. Something I have had to explain myself and you did a good job. I worked at a chemical plant. We ran a reaction with 99.5% ethanol. We bought the ethanol in rail car quantities. Water would react in the place of ethanol as you mentioned. Other alcohols would also react in place of the ethanol so we could not use ethanol denatured with other alcohols. Our ethanol was denatured with toluene which was inert in our process and was stripped off later in the process.
    Just a note, a lot of ethanol is denatured by a mix of methanol and isopropyl alcohol about 0.5% each. A small fore cut on your distillation removes the methanol but, by distilling to dryness you left the isopropyl in the ethanol. You would probably need a good still with a reflux column to really get all the other alcohols out.

  • @chunkytoads4509
    @chunkytoads4509 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You're a life saver! Had some 3A sieve hanging around, glad I didn't toss it. Thanks :)

  • @kdawg3484
    @kdawg3484 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1526

    Chemical engineer here. First of all, great clear and quick explanation of azeotropic distillation even though you opted not to use that method. I rarely, if ever, see it explained so clearly in my engineering books.
    A couple things worth noting:
    1) Mole sieves are the pretty much the best nonreactive way to get contaminants to the lowest possible percentages if they're applicable to the situation. 3A is perfect for removing water as it doesn't fit almost any other molecules except H2O into the pores. However, mole sieves have much lower capacities in exchange for their high adsorptivity. 5% water is probably too much for a mole sieve I thought up front, but I was pleasantly surprised that you were able to adsorb all that water in just two treatments. At higher volumes, though, mole sieves would become uneconomical. Great for keeping your ethanol dry, though, in storage as you're doing.
    In engineering practice at larger volumes, using only adsorption, it's most cost effective to use alumina first as a cheaper bulk adsorbent for water, then polish the last remaining bits of water out with mole sieves. Both can be regenerated with heat. Silica gel is another possible adsorbent that can be regenerated, but you'd have to check your gel's affinity for water over ethanol just to be sure it'll work. Adsorption is a very versatile separation method as long you do your adsorbent homework.
    2) There are a lot of other ways of "breaking" azeotropes listed in the Wikipedia "Azeotrope" article. Changing the distillation pressure will usually change the azeotropic temperature and composition allowing you to get past the atmospheric azeotrope. Apparently, that pressure swing effect won't work for ethanol-water, but it's viable for other mixtures. Using selective membranes will also work. There are many other methods. Obviously, not all will work for all types of mixtures or be viable at lab scale. I just wanted to expand upon your point of showing that there are a lot of other interesting separation processes, both physical and chemical, that we use after good ole distillation reaches its limits.

    • @Psyleidoscope
      @Psyleidoscope 5 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      modified Corn grits are used in industry to dry 50% of ethanol in the midwest usa. like 3a sieves, they are regenerated in the column, and are reused for many cycles.

    • @BillAnt
      @BillAnt 5 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      I'm not so sure if any denaturants will be left over during distillation... at least in the US they use additives such as Pyridine, and Methanol to make it poisonous, Denatonium Benzoate as a bitterant, and sometimes even a bit of acetone makes it in there (mostly in Isopropyl rubbing alcohol). The addition of Toluene to form an azeotrope to decrease the distillation temperate is interesting. I'm just wondering if any of the Toluene might escape into the distillate, therefore fractional distillation might be necessary. By the way, denaturants are added to prevent drinking it, AND to collect tax on drinkable ethanol.

    • @F3Ibane
      @F3Ibane 5 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Great, now the word "adsorb" looks weird.

    • @ethelana9627
      @ethelana9627 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Chemical engineering is fascinating

    • @JustinKoenigSilica
      @JustinKoenigSilica 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      What's alumina?

  • @magicstix0r
    @magicstix0r 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3110

    How nerds make moonshine...

    • @stevenspall8257
      @stevenspall8257 8 ปีที่แล้ว +399

      +magicstix0r At 100% that isn't moonshine. That's liquid fire.

    • @tomothanrahan4467
      @tomothanrahan4467 8 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      +steven spall would you be able to drink that

    • @stevenspall8257
      @stevenspall8257 8 ปีที่แล้ว +148

      Technically yes. Ever clear is 95% and it has a warning that says not to drink it straight, but I've seen people so it anyway. Personally I can't handle it. It burns to much. But if you can handle the burn, yeah.

    • @Window_Hero
      @Window_Hero 6 ปีที่แล้ว +102

      I'll give an actual answer two years later. One major thing they add to ethanol to keep you from drinking it is methanol, and while it is possible to remove methanol, he didn't take the necessary steps to do that, so this probably wouldn't be safe for drinking.

    • @Swizler
      @Swizler 5 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      WindowHero and another point added 2 years and 6 days later, drinking 100% ethanol is very dangerous. Your typical bar hop 6-7 shots would probably land you in a hospital unless you have some God like tolerance. Your typical shot would only hold 35-40 %. So, using as little math as possible, 1 shot 100% is roughly the same potency as 3 shots of Grey Goose.

  • @myplateisempty.4292
    @myplateisempty.4292 3 ปีที่แล้ว +175

    I just woke up and I misread the title as "androgynous ethanol". It made me laugh a full 2 seconds.

    • @OatmealTheCrazy
      @OatmealTheCrazy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Glad I wasn't the only one 😂

    • @Luna-Lux
      @Luna-Lux 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Obsessed

    • @BillAnt
      @BillAnt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      You were pretty close, if you drink 100% alcohol it will turn you androgynous. ha-ha

    • @OatmealTheCrazy
      @OatmealTheCrazy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@BillAnt God I wish

    • @RegularTetragon
      @RegularTetragon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@BillAnt brb gonna go chug some 200 proof

  • @edlong8387
    @edlong8387 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Another possible drying agent is common table salt NaCl as it is hydrophilic and insoluble in alcohol. The salt combines with the water but remains insoluble to the alcohol. This causes the alcohol and water to separate into two layers with the much less dense alcohol floating atop the denser salt water. The alcohol can then simply be decanted off leaving the salt water behind. One could also distill the alcohol off the salt water as well, but that would be more time consuming and more effort.
    The remaining saltwater can then be dried which will leave your salt behind able to be reused again in much the same fashion as your filter beads.

  • @georgedowson2987
    @georgedowson2987 3 ปีที่แล้ว +705

    Molecular sieve dust can interfere with reactions, and the sieves do effectively gobble up a good chunk of your solvent (as you can't fully drain the flask).
    If you're going to distill the ethanol anyway, there is a better route that does remove ALL the water (down to undetectable levels - sieves can't quite get there and a small amount of water will be released towards the end of the distillation if you end up distilling it dry).
    Put your azeotropic ethanol (or sieve-dried ethanol!) into a beaker, add a lump of sodium (sufficient to react with the water present), wait for it to dissolve, and then distill the resulting mixture. The sodium lump will immobilise the water into sodium hydroxide, allowing you to distill the solvent mixture to dryness (don't do this at a large scale, as dangerous contaminants may collect - but for lab scale there's no issue). Excess sodium will form sodium ethoxide, which is a water scavenger itself (it reacts with water to generate ethanol and sodium hydroxide).
    If you want to do this process at large scale (check local law!), you want the benzene pressure-swing process.
    It's not regeneratable but it will give you analytically pure ethanol. You can store it over some magnesium turnings, which can be used in the place of the sodium if you like - although this route needs a crystal of iodine to activate the magnesium [breaks through the oxide layer] before you start. So really it depends on how well-stocked your lab is!

  • @pirobot668beta
    @pirobot668beta 8 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    There is a hybrid distillation technique using glycerol.
    Pass the ethanol vapors through hot glycerol; the ethanol passes right on by, the water hangs out to party!!
    Glycerol is easily swapped out & dried.

    • @gazzarrr666
      @gazzarrr666 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Nice idea. I'll have to try that.

    • @runakovacs4759
      @runakovacs4759 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Reminds me of purifying hydrogen gas with Pd.

    • @donb2527
      @donb2527 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Man the shit I learn on youtube... really makes me regret not taking chemistry education

    • @BigBodyBiggolo
      @BigBodyBiggolo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Wow so you could add this as a part of your moonshine set up?
      Like into a second thumper?

    • @ruediix
      @ruediix 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Not 100% but will get more than 95%.

  • @Gaspo123
    @Gaspo123 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    In power electronics assembly with solder strips instead of paste we use a small of 100% ethanol between the chip and solder to hold everything together. In the soldering oven the ethanol evaporates away without effecting the soldering surfaces

  • @thestealthtarget
    @thestealthtarget 3 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    There is a third method as well, which is pressure swing distillation. After reaching 95%, take that mixture and do a high pressure (10 bar) distillation, and the ethanol will come off the top at nearly 100%.

  • @cbfull
    @cbfull 3 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    I really love your experiments!! I just wanted to share some things I’ve learned about sieves. Molecular sieves will slowly pull air molecules into their pores as they sit. It is generally best to freshly bake the sieves before using them. This drives the gases out of the pores and allows the water molecules to be literally pulled directly into them. It’s essentially a vacuum that adds a lot of extra pull. You can demonstrate this by sealing freshly baked sieves in a plastic container, and as the air is absorbed, the plastic container will collapse.
    If you don’t use freshly regenerated sieves, you have to wait for the air molecules to get driven out (displaced), which adds a significant amount of time to the solvent drying process.

    • @erikisberg3886
      @erikisberg3886 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank You, I did not know that! Makes sense.

  • @WATAFAQAsD123
    @WATAFAQAsD123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Use cotton wool to filter stuff. Thats what we use for HPLC and LCMS at our company. Pretty much all colloidical residue remains at the filtering agent.

  • @b4uc2far95
    @b4uc2far95 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    We use molecular sieves in our Gas Chromatograph along with specific “columns” to separate the individual elements out of the compounds we are analyzing.

  • @SuperZorark
    @SuperZorark 4 ปีที่แล้ว +152

    i like how youtube recommended this since ethanol products are scarce in our market... or they are just listening to my home conversations

  • @ice788
    @ice788 3 ปีที่แล้ว +339

    "store ethanol somewhere safe"
    -Me "GET IN MY BELLY!"

    • @oskarthompson3789
      @oskarthompson3789 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I'm bigger than you i'm higher on the food chain!

    • @-._.-._--._.-._--._.-._--._.-.
      @-._.-._--._.-._--._.-._--._.-. 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Remember kids alcohol is worse than marijuana and causes cancer

    • @revilooliver486
      @revilooliver486 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@-._.-._--._.-._--._.-._--._.-. Ok, stoner...

    • @snakie413
      @snakie413 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@-._.-._--._.-._--._.-._--._.-. lol, who cares, It gets me drunk. Same as weed can give u psychosis, but u dont care, cause it gets u high

  • @nicoschadjidemetriou4373
    @nicoschadjidemetriou4373 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You can use CaO to absorb the water and then careful distillation. Last year i closed the 95% ethanol in a nylon bag with CaCl2(dehydrator) and after some days the ethanol became 100%.

  • @CoxyNormus
    @CoxyNormus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I was freaked out when you put the foil over the vertical tube and y adapter. DON'T YOU NEED TO MEASURE THE BOILING POINT?? But then I realized there's not actually any water left to recondense in the collection flask. Nice procedure, Nile.

  • @btyt152
    @btyt152 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1565

    Legend says it still wasn’t strong enough for the Russians and the scots

    • @taraswertelecki3786
      @taraswertelecki3786 3 ปีที่แล้ว +86

      It's strong enough for Russians to drink themselves to death on it. More Russians die of acute alcohol poisoning in one day than Americans do in a year. That is how bad the problem is of Russians drinking themselves to death.

    • @kratos6412
      @kratos6412 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      or the irish

    • @kokoslegend4850
      @kokoslegend4850 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@kratos6412 nah Russians drink *vodka*

    • @nilocrekkab3112
      @nilocrekkab3112 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      @@kokoslegend4850 vodka is just ethanol and water

    • @kokoslegend4850
      @kokoslegend4850 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@nilocrekkab3112 yes true

  • @nadurtha8536
    @nadurtha8536 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Incredibly clear explanation of Azeotropic solutions, often taught awkwardly. Thank you.

  • @anonamouse
    @anonamouse 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Random algorithm recommendation... interesting to see the origin story of NileRed.

  • @JacobCarlson
    @JacobCarlson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love the idea of keeping a liquid dry

  • @jont7331
    @jont7331 4 ปีที่แล้ว +815

    2020 Coronavirus:
    TH-cam recommendations:

    • @hsadreamerofrlyeh7516
      @hsadreamerofrlyeh7516 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Add some aloe vera gel and you have hand sanitizer.
      Hmmmmm could screwtube actually be helping us?
      No, it's just a janky recommendation algorithm

    • @davidnowacki1942
      @davidnowacki1942 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Leave my camp stove fuel ALONE!!!

    • @1boobtube
      @1boobtube 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Add water to reduce it to 70% it's more effective as a sanatizer. Fwiw just wash your hands it's more effective if you have water available.

    • @bettertelevision968
      @bettertelevision968 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      already stoled your camp fuel

    • @dyztroyax4628
      @dyztroyax4628 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      So.. you want to watch Corona news all day? Have fun

  • @colinoverton8897
    @colinoverton8897 5 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    An excellent video. More than 40 years ago I used to share a lab with someone who regularly had to produce 100% ethanol so that he could make a metallic compound that was very sensitive to water, also air. He used the magnesium method, and used to say that it was one of the more difficult experimental manipulations he had to do in obtaining his PhD. Grignard reagents are of course one of the standard ways of alkylating anything, particularly if you can't buy pure alkyl lithiums.

  • @michaelpatrick6950
    @michaelpatrick6950 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Take a box of corn starch spread it on a cookie sheet. Place in a 250F oven for a couple of hours to dry it from 11% w/w moisture to 3-4% w/w moisture. Place it in a glass container with a silicone snap lid until ready to use. When ready, dump it into the 190 proof ethanol and stir for a few minutes. Filter the corn starch out on a coffee filter and your ethanol will be 199 proof. The corn starch can be recycled by letting the ethanol air evaporate and redrying the starch in the oven. Be very careful with the re-dried cornstarch as it's explosive is dispersed in air. Your 190 proof should be booze alcohol because the starch won't necessarily take out denaturants.

  • @PixelSchnitzel
    @PixelSchnitzel 15 วันที่ผ่านมา +4

    Hi, Pixel Schnitzel here. I came back here from the future to tell you that this is, by far, a better format than you'll be using in 2023/24. Please consider keeping it like this.

  • @josephjackson1956
    @josephjackson1956 4 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    It's important to note that when you remove the H2O from the ethanol, in order to keep it at 100% ethanol, you should keep it in an inert atmosphere so the water vapor in the air won't diffuse into the ethanol.

    • @sijmenkroon5972
      @sijmenkroon5972 4 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      Thats why he added the sieves in the bottle again, so if the concentration ethanol went down they would absorb the water again and the conc would go back to 100%

    • @sylviam6535
      @sylviam6535 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Yes, because ethanol is hygroscopic.

  • @markarca6360
    @markarca6360 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Molecular sieves (like zeolite) are also used in medical and industrial oxygen concentrators. Remember that atmospheric air has only 21% oxygen. Molecular sieves allow oxygen molecules to pass but leaves the other gases behind, so it makes 30% - 99% oxygen from room air.

  • @markwallace5274
    @markwallace5274 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    6 yrs old now but I’ve been on a NileRed binge lately lol love the ethanol content since that’s what I run my car on well E85 which is really only around 70% Ethanol and 30% Gasoline in my area wish I had the means to make my own lol

  • @jeffcauhape6880
    @jeffcauhape6880 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    How cool! I didn't know that such sieves existed!

  • @roysingh5975
    @roysingh5975 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Excellent tutorial. You're a natural teacher. Keep going.

  • @mattia_carciola
    @mattia_carciola 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    By far one of the most useful of your video, since anhydrous ethanol is difficult to find and quite expensive!

  • @indikapathirana9556
    @indikapathirana9556 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice work,I got it, thanks for information

  • @gamingcujo9443
    @gamingcujo9443 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Nile, now I know how to make every hour happy hour, gonna whip some up tomorrow

  • @maricboy
    @maricboy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I will probably never make anything, but i find it very intressting to just watch the process. Thanks for uploading.

  • @dannythompson1948
    @dannythompson1948 ปีที่แล้ว

    Im so dumb. I just looked up the definition of 'anhydrous' lol i probably could have figured it out had i thought about it for 2 seconds.. You're a huge inspiration NileRed!! I did my first acid to base extraction the other day! You trained me well!

  • @duckbilldaniel
    @duckbilldaniel 7 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    best chemistry channel i've seen. Good work. You earned a Sub.

  • @batwing-plays
    @batwing-plays ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Fun fact: in Poland you don't have to go to pharmacy to can get 95% ethanol - you can buy it in most grocery stores. We use them to make a liquor called "nalewka" that's prepared by pouring it over some fruits or whatever (I like to dump some anise into the spirit) and leave it for a month or so. In case of the watery addon it usually makes the concentration go down to 40-60% which is perfectly drinkable.

  • @Pwn3dbyth3n00b
    @Pwn3dbyth3n00b 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Nile Red: I'll do this extra step and distill this to get rid of the sieve dust.
    Also Nile Red: Since we removed the sieve dust I'm going to pour it back into the ethanol.

  • @Yeshuaschosen
    @Yeshuaschosen 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Ever clear is what I buy when I need to mix up some shellac for a non toxic wood finish. This is way over my head but it was fascinating to watch! Thanks!

    • @Bigshoots86
      @Bigshoots86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Not in California anymore, they've banned high content alcohol/denatured alcohol

    • @Yeshuaschosen
      @Yeshuaschosen 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Bigshoots86 I'm sorry!

    • @AldoSchmedack
      @AldoSchmedack 22 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Same, I use for it too! Beats anything else. Better finish quality too, no clouding up.

  • @kareemapbio7332
    @kareemapbio7332 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    You are an excellent chemist. Much respect to you from a junior chem student.

  • @jadenephrite
    @jadenephrite 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Details @ 1:47, the audio says that "ethanol" is poured into the graduated cylinder whereas the closed caption states that it is "methanol". Furthermore the label on the bottle states that it contains 95% ethanol.

  • @nikschreiner6182
    @nikschreiner6182 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for your content.

  • @chaloynclan3087
    @chaloynclan3087 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I did this last year and before I added the sieves I destiled the alcohol, the reason why is because denaturing agents are a type of soaps and the sieves once dried in the oven can be less efficient next time because they have this agents in the surface. So, first a distillation to remove denaturing agent, then sieves, and after a second distillation to clean alcohol from dust. Good sieves are not cheap but alcohol yes, so I prefer take care of the sieves.

  • @rustyfox2794
    @rustyfox2794 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    As well as commercial molecular sieves you can use cement powder and starch, both of which adsorb water, but not alcohol. As with the commercial molecular sieves a second distillation would be best. The added advantage of these is that they're much cheaper and more readily available. Would you consider doing a video to try out these methods, just to compare? Thanks for a great video!!

  • @christopherleubner6633
    @christopherleubner6633 27 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I add dry magnesium sulfate to the 95% etOH then distill it from that. The MgSO4 helps it boil. Some molecular sieves are added to the receiver to grab what's left.

  • @BABALOOEY46
    @BABALOOEY46 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks 👍🏻 good tips

  • @levitheentity4000
    @levitheentity4000 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    1:32
    and the 3rd and most important reason
    (pure substances are so satisfying)

  • @eliduttman315
    @eliduttman315 5 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Molecular sieves are a comparatively recent development. Back when I was in school, we used calcium oxide (quicklime). CaO + H2O yields Ca(OH)2.

    • @brucecowles6306
      @brucecowles6306 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      where yields confirmed using hydro-meter?

    • @olegshevchenko5869
      @olegshevchenko5869 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I would've went with sodium

    • @eliduttman315
      @eliduttman315 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@olegshevchenko5869 No good, as metallic sodium reacts with an alcohol to produce hydrogen gas and sodium alkoxide. Alkoxides are useful nucleophilic reagents.

    • @maxjoechl5663
      @maxjoechl5663 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@eliduttman315 That's not much of an issue, though - sodium reacts with the remaining water to form sodium hydroxide, and while it does indeed form sodium ethoxide with ethanol, the equilibrium favors the deprotonation of the stronger acid, which in this case would be H2O. Thus, if you only add a modest excess of sodium to your azeotrope, you can easily separate the anhydrous ethanol from the newly-formed sodium salts.

    • @jamesreed1546
      @jamesreed1546 ปีที่แล้ว

      Magnesium sulphate was what we used

  • @sookmikehock4401
    @sookmikehock4401 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Weekends gonna be liiiiittt fam 🔥

  • @jvcyt298
    @jvcyt298 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was in the petroleum service industry from 1998-2012. I remember years before then hearing about the difficulties of producing and storing what they called gasohol. Later, when my job was addressing issues caused by water contamination in 10% ethanol/ gasoline blends, there were many solutions, however, few of them were practical and none of them were long-term. Needless to say, it was a constant concern. There were so-called water filters that were made for alcohol-blended gasoline, If I'm not mistaken they used corn starch to absorb the water, and clogged quickly.

  • @leftylizard9085
    @leftylizard9085 3 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    Finally. The perfect drink to have during the debate tonight.

    • @ChilloutLibrary
      @ChilloutLibrary 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Chris Wallace also ordered one shot during that "quarrel" @ Bad Lip Reading

    • @mikeoxmall69420
      @mikeoxmall69420 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Ahh, politics. No matter how much alcohol you drink, you're still too sober to enjoy it

  • @whysoscared435
    @whysoscared435 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    you can mix it with Aluminium ethanolate. It will react with water to form Aluminium Hydroxide and ethanol

  • @jozefnovak7750
    @jozefnovak7750 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Super! Thank you very much!

  • @bradleynealdaley
    @bradleynealdaley 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    you can also do a pressure swing distillation... but that is for industrial use :D

  • @Nikolaii2571
    @Nikolaii2571 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I love your glassware, Nile.

  • @robertwadsworth5226
    @robertwadsworth5226 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    BTW - another use for 100% ethanol is for quick test of circuit boards for shorts. Can't have any water in it when pouring it on; or you are making a short. Since a short creates some heat, the alcohol will evaporate quickly and leave a dry spot - which is easily noticed. However, if the short is too hot it can be a catastrophe by making a fire. Best used for low amperage/voltage (less than 100mA) short detection using only a small amount of alcohol and checking only a different small area each time with good ventilation . . . Use utmost care - you are responsible!

    • @stargazer7644
      @stargazer7644 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Pure water is actually a pretty good insulator.

  • @tarikmomumou9437
    @tarikmomumou9437 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Trying to make Mercury Fulminate by using Absolute Ethanol, this video helped a lot, thank you sir!

  • @thestealthycow4776
    @thestealthycow4776 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks nilered! i will use this to disinfect my throat and stomach!

  • @rp479
    @rp479 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Bro you have an amazing channel. Been watching tons of your vids.
    I’m feel like a chemist just watching you lol!

  • @seansharma6425
    @seansharma6425 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    No one:
    Dad's during quarantine: *interesting*

    • @user-njyzcip
      @user-njyzcip 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Dads*

    • @justinhamilton8647
      @justinhamilton8647 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      No one:
      My dad during quarantine: decides to have a heart attack and dies

    • @twicebittenthasme5545
      @twicebittenthasme5545 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      As a dad, I will aver every syllable of that statement, is correct, true and accurate to the best of inebriated knowledge.

  • @xilified
    @xilified 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Finally something to start the morning with.

  • @TazPessle
    @TazPessle 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    When i was at uni, they kept ethanol and acetone dry with sodium beads at the bottom of the flask. It was a bit like magnesium sulphate in that is went like a snowstorm when the EtOH/EtO needed filtering and refreshing.

  • @E_Rico
    @E_Rico 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Best moonshine tutorial on youtube

  • @jaketaylor1031
    @jaketaylor1031 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    100% ethanol is really important for certain molecular biology procedures like DNA extraction and purification. This is a good procedure to know, thank you.

  • @Jackcat-ub6co
    @Jackcat-ub6co ปีที่แล้ว

    the days when nilered was in a garage i trust this more than any other video still

  • @judelarkin2883
    @judelarkin2883 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I grew up on a farm and we had neighbors that had a large ethanol still that they were experimenting for use as fuel. (I’m not sure if that operation was legal). They tried mixing it with gasoline, it separated and they didn’t know why. This was in the 90s before the internet was useful for that sort of question. I was recently thinking about that and 30 years later I went down that rabbit hole. I figured out the water issue from written material online but the Google gods decided I needed to see this video too. This time they were right because reading about how that works at industrial plant is one thing but seeing what it looks like on a small scale is interesting.

  • @israelbruno8259
    @israelbruno8259 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Do you have a video about Bio-diesel, a demonstration or description on how to process or a good reference? Your videos brought me memories of my Chem. Lab. days in college. Thank you.

  • @benpeltola1364
    @benpeltola1364 4 ปีที่แล้ว +121

    Me: Sees video title
    Also me: 'Cheers, I'll drink to that, bro.'

    • @fredlonbottom238
      @fredlonbottom238 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Question : is it okay to drink the "dust"
      Asking for a friend.

  • @jyotiradityum592
    @jyotiradityum592 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    At the end when he said to store the ethanol somewhere safe, I really hoped he would also add 'do not drink' cautionary.

  • @hupiscratch110
    @hupiscratch110 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Now it makes sense why Brazilian ethanol at the fuel pump is around 96%, great video

  • @kalleklp7291
    @kalleklp7291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    There is also the option of distilling under a vacuum. However, making ethanol that is about 100% is pointless as it is hygroscopic and will attract moisture from the ambient as soon as it is taken outside the vacuum conditions.

  • @highihigh
    @highihigh 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Here's a tip if you want your ethanol really extra sooper dry : dissolve a little bit of sodium in it prior to distillation. Of course, this only makes sense if you then handle it in a dry atmosphere (for instance, via a Schlenk line), or it will otherwise pump moisture back from the air. (but if you have a schlenk line, distillation becomes super easy : you don't even need a condenser! Two flasks, a T-shaped piece of glassware and some liquid nitrogen are enough!)

    • @odissey2
      @odissey2 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I used to distill solvents (including ethanol) over the sodium mirror to remove water to approx 10E-5%. Basically, a metal sodium is evaporated in the distilling column and solvent vapors are passed over bare metal, eating out all water molecules. Of course, everything is done under vacuum and purged with nitrogen or argon.

    • @odissey2
      @odissey2 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      For those who can afford, a metal sodium can be replaced with eutectic mixture of sodium and potassium, forming liquid alloy, which can be stirred inside the flask. A sodium itself is quickly getting covered by hydroxide, slowing the process.

  • @malkomalkavian
    @malkomalkavian 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Interesting, thank you

  • @bhagyashreeurao7931
    @bhagyashreeurao7931 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    this was awessssoommeee!!

  • @americannomadnews5370
    @americannomadnews5370 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    When storing the 100% ethanol in the bottle it occurred to me that you could put the seeds in a paper teapouch to keep the dust from getting into the ethanol.

    • @Hunne2303
      @Hunne2303 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      nope, not small enough as shown in the video when the coffee filter was used to try and get the dust out

  • @MichaelClark-uw7ex
    @MichaelClark-uw7ex 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    In the pre molecular sieve days, they poured the alcohol through wheat straw, to get 100%.
    Pretty much the same principle as molecular sieves.

  • @iguanapete3809
    @iguanapete3809 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I saw a doc. on Jonny Appleseed. He in fact planted apple trees to make applejack. In the winter people would put their applejack out side. The water part would freeze but not the alcohol part. Pick out the ice and have stronger liquor.

  • @johnhutchinson5398
    @johnhutchinson5398 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Where did you get your drying agent from. Great information and sure makes things easier.

  • @sockpuppetbitme
    @sockpuppetbitme 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    By the way, it's a great solvent for making plant-based potions because it evaporates easily and is not poisonous in trace amounts. 100% is good if you're making oils for instance

    • @dasarcanaeum
      @dasarcanaeum 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yep, my reason for watching this vid. I got mad just to be able to buy 95% ethanol :S

  • @markrigsby2107
    @markrigsby2107 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Nile Red, knows his stuff.

  • @Vedurin
    @Vedurin 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    😀 I recently saw your episode on returning to your dad's garage and now i hear the audio and think "oh, this is an old video" and second thought is "OH WAIT ! IT'S THE GARAGE !!" 😀😀 Woo hoo !!

  • @prdprdprdprdprdel
    @prdprdprdprdprdel 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you. Very delicious.

  • @mathewdallaway
    @mathewdallaway 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Interesting process; thank you for the information and tips.
    The pronunciation of "sieve" could do with some distillation.

    • @carltomacruz9138
      @carltomacruz9138 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Everyone has his/her own quirk in pronunciation. I pronounce the L in salmon and almond, as well as in Spanish words, like tortilla, cepillo, and manzanilla.

    • @bmcmeatshield9164
      @bmcmeatshield9164 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@carltomacruz9138 why wouldn't you pronounce the L in almond? 🤔

    • @carltomacruz9138
      @carltomacruz9138 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@bmcmeatshield9164: From what I've noticed with folks from both the UK and the US, the L in "almond" is silent.

  • @smudgepost
    @smudgepost 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Another great video. I didn't realize you could remove denaturing additives, I thought they were designed to make the ethanol permanently denatured, like the dye in pink diesel. Interested as denatured where I live is cheap but food grade is monstrously expensive

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's really, really, incredibly fucking illegal to distill alcohol for drinking without a license in most places, whether you're selling it or not.
      It's my opinion that you should *definitely not do that*

    • @smudgepost
      @smudgepost 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@tissuepaper9962 Not illegal for me! I own two stills

    • @tissuepaper9962
      @tissuepaper9962 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@smudgepost 👍

    • @victorgomezgarcia5630
      @victorgomezgarcia5630 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wanna know why its a lot more expensive?
      Taxes :)
      Alcoholic drinks have a lot of taxes, and alcohol without additives is considered drinking alcohol

  • @user-pl3kf8in7e
    @user-pl3kf8in7e 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Anhydrous ethanol is used for cleaning high powered laser optics because it cleans and leaves no residue.

  • @LordHarringtonYT
    @LordHarringtonYT 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You sound….different, my guy. I hope all is well with you and you’re taking care of your mental health my man! As always, a very informative video!

    • @captainspy3024
      @captainspy3024 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This was from 6 almost 7 years ago man 😭