What is the difference between medical alcohol and food alcohol. What is special about medical alcohol and why is it better than food alcohol? Formula, composition and other characteristics

I got on the Internet to look for Aseptolin - I looked for nothing like that in the description of the drug about alcohol is not written:

1. Water preparation. Classical Russian vodka recipes use spring water. But it is not easy for residents of big cities to get it, so we will get by with ordinary bottled water, which can be bought in almost every store. The first thing to know - boiled and distilled water is not suitable for vodka, because during boiling and distillation, water loses some of its nutrients and dissolves alcohol poorly.

For home production of vodka, water containing a minimum amount of salts is used. If you buy it in a store, then carefully look at the label, which indicates the salt content. I also advise you to pay attention to transparency and cruelty, the softer and more transparent the water, the better.

2. Preparation of alcohol. Naturally, it should be only ethyl or medical. The difference between them is that medical alcohol is made from ethyl alcohol, it contains small impurities of water and other substances at the molecular level. Both ethyl and medical alcohol are suitable for the production of vodka, in our case there is no significant difference between them.

Proper preparation of water and alcohol

Before trying out a recipe for vodka from alcohol, you need to prepare water. The ideal raw material is spring water, but it is unrealistic to get it in a metropolis. The main thing is that she is alive. For this reason, distilled and boiled are not suitable, because all microorganisms are destroyed in them. Useful components that contribute to the dissolution of alcohol are lost. You can drive tap water through a household filter, ridding it of chlorine, heavy metals and salts. Bottled water with low salt content is a good option. When buying, pay attention to transparency and softness. Moreover, the water should be cool.

Additional Ingredients

Another important component is glucose. The method of its manufacture is quite simple, even at home. Required: one kilogram of sugar and one liter of water. After mixing the components, the resulting mixture is sent to a slow fire and boiled. During this process, a white film will form, which must be removed. After the foam stops appearing, the mixture can be removed from the heat and used for its intended purpose.

Do you know how much Alcohol calories?

• X is the number of ml of water to be added.
• M is the required strength of the final solution;
• Where N is the original alcohol strength;
• P - initial volume.

For example, to obtain 70% alcohol per jar of medical (100 ml), you need to add 37 ml of water.

96*100/70-100=37ml

Obviously, as a result of the manipulations listed above, it is often possible to obtain a rather large volume of an alcoholic beverage, which may turn out to be superfluous. We believe that in this case it would be appropriate to tell you in what proportions water and alcohol should be combined in order to get a liter of drink (plus / minus 50 ml).

How to dilute 96% alcohol to get a liter of vodka

A liter of real 40-degree vodka can be obtained by mixing 421 ml of alcohol and 607 ml of water.

Depending on the purification of ethyl, that is, on the degree of purification, it is divided into medical, anhydrous, extra, luxury, highest purification, first grade.

Ethyl alcohol increases the sensitivity of the body to tranquilizers, and neuroleptics increase the intoxication caused by it. When ethyl alcohol is combined with oral antidiabetic sulfonylurea derivatives, hypoglycemic coma develops (loss of consciousness, characterized by a complete lack of body response to external stimuli, due to low blood sugar). Imipramine, MAO inhibitors increase the toxicity of ethyl alcohol, hypnotics contribute to significant respiratory depression, butadione prolongs the effect of alcohol due to a delay in its oxidation. The antabuse effect caused by the inhibition of the activity of acetaldehyderogenase (an enzyme involved in the decomposition of alcohol) can be caused by phenobarbital, phenacytin, amidopyrine, butamide, isoniazid and butadiene. Ethyl alcohol enhances the toxicity (damaging effect) of nitrofurans and contributes to the manifestation of their antabuse-like action, reduces the effectiveness of thiamine. When taken orally, it inactivates (suppresses activity) the action of antibiotics.

Description of the drug

5. The reduction in the number of goyim continues.

Alcohol vodka is almost ready. It remains only to pour it, filling the bottles to the very neck, and tightly close the corks. When exposed to air, the alcohol will evaporate. I advise you to let the drink rest for another 1-2 days, then its taste will be optimal. The shelf life of vodka prepared according to this recipe depends on the amount of third-party additives. If they are not, then vodka can be stored indefinitely.

Ethyl alcohol is used in medicine and the food industry. Based on it, medicines and alcoholic beverages are made. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to drink medical alcohol? This issue should be considered in more detail.

The pharmaceutical and food industries use ethanol of varying quality and purity. The following types of ethyl alcohol can be distinguished:

1. Medical alcohol. In medicine, an ethanol solution with a strength of 40 to 95% is used. It does not have as high a degree of purification as food alcohol, and is intended for external use.
2. Alcohol class "Alpha" and "Lux". These are the highest quality food grade ethanol used in the production of vodka.
3. ". This product is of lower quality and is used to make inexpensive vodka varieties.

which is for outdoor use? First of all, you need to pay attention to its composition and strength. If only ethanol and water are listed on the label among the ingredients, then you can drink such alcohol, but it is undesirable, since it is not intended for food use.

What happens if you drink ethyl alcohol 95%? You should not use such a product undiluted, it can lead to burns of the throat and mucous membranes of internal organs, not to mention severe intoxication. It must be diluted with water by about half., then its strength will be approximately equal to the strength of vodka. Ethanol can be diluted with juices, fruit drinks or compote. It is undesirable to use carbonated water or alcoholic beverages for dilution, as this can lead to rapid and severe intoxication.

Can I drink ethyl alcohol 70%? Or does it need to be diluted with water? We can say that it is undesirable to drink undiluted. Drinks with a strength of more than 50% can harm the body. It must be remembered that even pure medical alcohol is more irritating to the mucous membrane than food. And its negative effect on the liver much stronger than the product intended for drinking.

Harm to health

The doses of medical ethanol taken orally are also very important. An alcohol concentration of more than 5 g / l of blood can be fatal, and an amount of alcohol in a concentration of more than 3 g / l causes severe poisoning. It must be remembered that due to the lower quality of purification, medical ethanol causes poisoning faster than food. Therefore, it should be drunk in lower doses. With intoxication, the following symptoms are observed:

With these symptoms, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Diluted ethanol alcohol should be consumed in slow sips, avoiding overdose. Excessive amounts of ethanol destroy brain neurons and liver. An overdose of drinks based on medical alcohol leads to a severe hangover.

Other types of alcohol-containing drugs

Pharmacies also sell other types of medical alcohol. They are intended for outdoor use. Many consumers are interested in whether it is possible to drink alcohol based on these drugs. The consequences depend on what substance is added to the ethanol. Most common the following types of medical alcohols:

To the question what kind of alcohol can you drink, the answer is unambiguous: medical ethanol can be consumed orally without additives. At the same time, only in moderate doses, occasionally and always in a diluted form. All other alcohol-containing products from the pharmacy are toxic.

The most dangerous surrogate for alcohol is methyl alcohol. It is this compound that can cause severe poisoning with blindness.

Methanol is virtually indistinguishable from ethanol in appearance, smell, and taste. This is industrial alcohol, which is used for the preparation of solvents, paints and varnishes. Ingestion of 10 ml of methanol can cause blindness, and 50 ml can lead to death. Signs of methanol intoxication are as follows:

• flickering black dots before the eyes;
• increased separation of saliva;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• vomit;
• pressure surges.

Sometimes the symptoms of poisoning do not appear immediately, but as the poison accumulates in the body. A characteristic sign of intoxication is a worsening of the condition a few days after drinking alcohol. If there are signs of poisoning methanol, you need to urgently call an ambulance. Prior to the arrival of doctors, the following measures must be taken:

Distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl can be done using the following tests:

1. If you set fire to a liquid, then ethanol burns with a blue flame, and methanol with green.
2. You can put raw potatoes in alcohol. Ethanol does not change the color of the vegetable. Potatoes turn pink in methyl alcohol.
3. Dip a hot copper wire into the liquid. If there is an unpleasant smell, then it is methanol.

Often methanol poisoning occurs with the use of alcoholic beverages of dubious origin. To detect the presence of methyl alcohol in alcoholic products, the following tests must be carried out:

1. Pour the drink into a container and throw in the baking soda. In methanol, soda dissolves completely, and in ethanol a yellow precipitate forms.
2. You can put potassium permanganate in the liquid. If bubbles form, the drink contains methanol.

Almost all types of technical alcohol are unsuitable for consumption, even if they consist of ethanol. Usually, dyes or denaturing additives with an unpleasant odor and taste are added to such products, which are harmful to the body. Aviation ethanol may contain salts of heavy metals, such compounds lead to serious poisoning.

The safest are edible types of alcohol that undergo a high degree of purification and are intended for drinking. You can use medical ethanol only occasionally, in extreme cases, this should by no means become a habit.

Attention, only TODAY!

The main difference between ethyl alcohol and other types of such substances is its suitability for ingestion. Other types of alcohols have properties that are more or less toxic to humans, so the ability to distinguish between their types will minimize the risk of chemical poisoning. The greatest danger of all types of inedible alcohols is methyl, due to its cheapness, prevalence and similarity in taste and smell to ethanol. Other types of alcohols (for example, isopropyl) are less common, but due to their similarity to food alcohol and toxic effects on the body, they also pose a considerable danger.

Knowing the main differences between common types of alcohol and ethyl alcohol will help minimize the health risks of drinking alcoholic beverages.

The danger of methyl alcohol

It is worth knowing that methanol does not differ from alcohol in color, taste and smell.

To distinguish drinking alcohol from non-drinking, appropriate research is required, which is far from always done. Very often, based on the belief that it was edible alcohol that was purchased, this substance is ingested. The result will be severe poisoning, and in the absence of medical care - death.

In addition to knowing how to distinguish ethyl alcohol from methyl alcohol and in general, you will need to have information about the main effects of methanol on the body, know the symptoms of poisoning and the means of primary care.

The use of vodka with methyl alcohol causes the following effects on the body:

• bilateral inflammation of the optic nerve, which can cause blindness;
• damage to the central nervous system;
• damage to the urinary system;
• destructive effect on the protein structures of the body, metabolic disorders.

Shortly after the use of this substance, the following symptoms appear:

• nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain;
• blurred consciousness;
• blurred vision ("flies" before the eyes);
• headache;
• dizziness;
• increased salivation;
• an increase and then a sharp drop in blood pressure.

Thus, if steps have not been taken to distinguish methanol from ethyl alcohol, some time after the substance enters the body, more severe consequences develop. The time of onset of such manifestations will depend on the amount of poisonous substance that has entered the body.

These manifestations include the following:

• visual impairment up to complete blindness;
• the appearance of pain in the legs and head;
• superficial alcoholic coma: impaired speech, gagging, lowering body temperature, spontaneous urination;

deep alcoholic coma: swelling of the eyelids, dilated pupils, lack of response to painful stimuli, respiratory failure, manifestation of convulsions and tachycardia.

Attention!

In the absence of medical attention and in the case of the use of a significant amount of methyl alcohol, a fatal outcome can occur.

How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol at home

There are several ways to distinguish food alcohol from technical alcohol at home. Each of them, provided that the experiment is carried out correctly, makes it possible to distinguish good alcohol from bad alcohol with a sufficiently high probability. With the same results of several types of tests, it is possible to determine the type of substance with a high probability.

These methods include the following.

flame color

One of the simplest means of distinguishing drinking alcohol from technical alcohol is its ignition. For ethanol, the color of the flame will have a bluish tint, and for methanol it will be greenish.

Reaction with potatoes

When a peeled potato is placed in a container with alcohol, the type of substance can be determined by the change in color of the vegetable. For the reaction to proceed, it is necessary to keep the potatoes in alcohol for at least two hours. In the event that the color of the potato changes to pink, this indicates methanol.

Boiling temperature

Another way to distinguish technical alcohol is to control its boiling point. Ethanol boils at a temperature of 78 °C, and methyl - already at 64 °C.

Reaction with baking soda

When mixed with ethanol, baking soda produces an insoluble yellowish precipitate. Methyl alcohol, when soda is dissolved in it, remains transparent.

Reaction with potassium permanganate

You can also distinguish medical alcohol if you add a little potassium permanganate to it. In the case of ethanol, this will not cause any visible reaction. The reaction of methyl alcohol will proceed with the release of gas and the smell of formalin.

Formaldehyde test

This method, which allows you to distinguish drinking alcohol from methanol, is considered the most reliable.

To carry it out, it is necessary to lower a red-hot copper wire into the investigated alcohol. If this results in a strong smell of formaldehyde, then you have methyl alcohol. Ethanol in this reaction gives off the smell of apple cider vinegar.

Lang test

For this method to distinguish technical alcohol from medical alcohol, potassium permanganate is required, as well as a small container in which alcohol can be heated.

For the study, you will need to dilute 0.2 g of potassium permanganate in 2 ml of distilled water. Then we heat 50 ml of alcohol to 18 ° C, pour a solution of potassium permanganate into it and note the time the color of the solution changes from purple to pink. If it took 10 minutes or more, then most likely you have ethyl alcohol in front of you.

Thus, the question of whether it is possible to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol can be answered positively.

How to distinguish other types of alcohols

There are many poisonous and toxic alcohols among them, so it is simply necessary to be able to distinguish them from each other, as well as to distinguish them from other substances with similar characteristics.

How to distinguish isopropyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol does not pose such a level of danger as methyl alcohol, but when consumed in large quantities, it will also have a negative effect on the body. The main reason for the harmful effects of this type of alcohol is the release of acetone during its breakdown in the liver. Also, the chemical composition of this substance causes a sharper onset of intoxication, which lasts much longer than after drinking ethanol.

Isopropyl alcohol can be distinguished from ethyl alcohol by several criteria:

• smell: sharp, bitter, reminiscent of the smell of disinfectants;
• taste: sweetish-bitter.

How to distinguish chacha from diluted alcohol

It will be much easier to distinguish chacha from diluted alcohol. Since chacha is actually distilled wine, such a product will differ significantly from diluted alcohol both in smell and taste.

Chacha has a rather mild aroma and taste, in contrast to the sharp characteristic taste of alcohol. Therefore, even once having tried a real drink, it will be easy to distinguish real chacha from diluted alcohol.

How to distinguish vodka from alcohol

Distinguishing vodka from alcohol will be somewhat more difficult. In this case, it all depends on the quality of the product. Quite often, cheap vodka is nothing more than just diluted alcohol, so there can be no difference in this case.

High-quality vodka has a rather mild taste and smell, which is different from a banal solution of alcohol and water. But this only applies to expensive brands. In the case of cheap vodka, there will be no differences for the reason that this is most likely diluted alcohol.

How to distinguish moonshine from alcohol

To distinguish moonshine from alcohol, it is desirable to have an idea about the smell of artisanal alcohol and medical alcohol. Basically, moonshine has an aroma with notes of the raw materials from which it is made, and also, to a certain extent, has the smell of fusel oil residues. The smell of pure alcohol has no such impurities. Therefore, in order to be able to distinguish moonshine from diluted alcohol, it is desirable to have an idea about the characteristic smell of home-made alcohol.

How to distinguish alpha alcohol from luxury alcohol

Distinguishing alpha alcohol from luxury alcohol is much more difficult. These brands of alcohols are quite close according to GOSTs and belong to the products of the highest degree of purification. By smell and taste, without having the appropriate experience, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between these two types of alcohol.

How to distinguish alcohol from phenol

In some cases, it is also required to be able to distinguish alcohols from phenols. In everyday life, phenolic compounds in their pure form are quite rare, but due to the high danger of such substances for health and life, it is necessary to be able to determine them by organoleptic characteristics.

The main indicator of the presence of a large amount of phenol in any solution is a clearly perceptible smell of gouache. Since this paint contains a significant amount of phenol, it is with it that the smell of this substance is associated.

Phenol is a toxic substance. Its entry into the body causes severe burns of internal organs, disruption of the nervous, cardiovascular, urinary systems. At high concentrations or a large amount of exposure leads to death.

To what chemical property distinguishes alcohols from phenols, one can attribute its much less pronounced acidic properties.

How to tell a ketone from an alcohol

The need to separate the ketone from alcohol at home is most likely not required. At the same time, it is worth knowing that ketones, due to the peculiarities of the chemical composition, are much more volatile. In particular, most substances of this group have a boiling point of about 52 degrees.

How to distinguish alcohol from acid

You can distinguish alcohol from acid both by the characteristic smell of the latter, and by its reaction with various substances, for example, metals. Alcohols, unlike acids, do not form new compounds upon contact with a metal, which is expressed in a change in the color of the metal surface, and in the case of a high acid concentration, metal destruction.

Alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methylcarbinol, wine alcohol, pentahydrodicarbonium hydroxide, alcohol) is an active component of alcoholic beverages that acts as a depressant on the human central nervous system.
Alcohol properties
Appearance: Under normal conditions, it is a colorless volatile liquid with a characteristic odor.
Molecular weight 46.069 a.u. eat.
Boiling point 78.15 °C
Critical point 241 °C (at a pressure of 6.3 MPa)
The energy value of ethanol is 7.1 kcal / g.
Solubility: miscible with benzene, water, glycerin, diethyl ether, acetone, methanol, acetic acid, chloroform. A mixture of 96% alcohol and 4% water (95.57% ethanol + 4.43% water) does not separate during distillation.

The history of the emergence (origin) of alcohol
The effect of alcoholic beverages and methods of obtaining them have been known to mankind since biblical times. According to the Old Testament, Noah accidentally drank fermented fruit juice and became drunk. After this incident, the culture of winemaking developed, and the recipe for alcoholic beverages became very diverse.
Obtaining alcohol in its pure form is based on the distillation process. Scientists suggest that the idea of ​​chemical distillation of liquids originated in the 1st millennium BC. The distillation process was first described by Aristotle (384-320 BC). Many alchemists of that time were engaged in improving the distillation technique, believing that by distillation they managed to isolate the soul of wine, thanks to which the distillation product was called the “spirit of wine” (from the Latin “spiritus vini”). From this name the term “alcohol” is widely used today.
The process of obtaining alcohol was discovered in various regions of the globe almost simultaneously. In 1334, Arno de Villeger (France), an alchemist from Provence, first obtained wine alcohol from grape wine and considered it a healing agent. And in 1360, some French and Italian monasteries produced wine alcohol called "aquavitae" - "water of life." In 1386, thanks to the Genoese merchants, alcohol reached Moscow.
The production of ethyl alcohol was started in Europe after the invention in Italy, in the 11th century, of the distillation apparatus. For several centuries, ethyl alcohol was almost never used in its pure form, except perhaps in the laboratories of alchemists. But in 1525, the famous Paracelsus noticed that the ether obtained by heating alcohol with sulfuric acid has a hypnotic effect. He described his experiences with poultry. And on October 17, 1846, the surgeon Warren put the first patient to sleep with ether.
Gradually, alcohol was divided into food and technical, obtained by splitting wood waste. In England, technical alcohol was exempted from increased taxes on sales, since the market value of alcoholic beverages paid off government fees, but such a cost was beyond the power of doctors and industrialists. To prevent food consumption of toxic industrial alcohol, it was mixed with methanol and other malodorous additives.
Subsequently, alcohol received instant spread in medicine due to constant wars. In 1913, about 2,400 factories were recorded on the territory of the former USSR, producing mainly vodka and wine. Later there was a separation of the production of alcohol and vodka.
With the outbreak of the First World War, the production of vodka actually stopped, the production of alcohol also decreased. Production began to recover only in 1925-1926. A grandiose restoration of industry was launched in 1947, new scientific and technical technologies and achievements began to be intensively applied. In 1965, there were 428 factories with an annual output of 127.8 million deciliters of alcohol. In 1975, the production of alcohol increased to 188.1 million decalitres. Due to the increased production of drinks with a lower strength, the consumption of alcohol in the alcoholic beverage industry has fallen.
Currently, the alcohol industry is one of the largest and most developed industries.

Types of alcohol depending on the raw material:
- food alcohol
- Technical alcohol
Food alcohol is produced only from food raw materials. The most common and economical raw material for the production of alcohol is potatoes. Potato starch is easily boiled soft, gelatinized and saccharified. In addition to potatoes, grains are used for the production of alcohol - wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, millet, as well as sugar beet, sugar syrup or molasses. Fruit and berry, grape materials, Jerusalem artichoke and other raw materials rich in carbohydrates are used much less frequently.
Technical alcohol is obtained from wood or petroleum products subjected to acid hydrolysis. Technical alcohol contains an increased amount of harmful impurities, so its use for food purposes is prohibited.

Subspecies:
- Potato
- Woody
- Wheat
- Hydrolysis
- rye
- Synthetic
- Corn
- Millet
- oatmeal
- Beetroot
- Sugar molasses

Varieties:
- Raw alcohol
- Rectified alcohol

Varieties of alcohol depending on the degree of purification:
- Suite
- Extra
- Highest purification
- 1st grade
Only conditioned grain is suitable for the production of luxury and extra grade alcohol. For alcohol of the highest purity and the 1st grade, any food raw material is used.

Three main stages of alcohol production:
- preparatory – purification of raw materials from impurities, preparation of malt or mold cultures;
- basic - digestion of starchy raw materials, saccharification of starch, fermentation of the saccharified mass, distillation of the mash and obtaining raw alcohol;
- final - rectification.
Raw alcohol (raw alcohol) obtained at the main stage of production cannot be used for food purposes, as it contains many harmful impurities (fusel oils, methyl alcohol, esters). Many impurities are poisonous and give alcohol an unpleasant odor, so raw alcohol is subjected to purification - rectification.
Removal of harmful impurities is carried out in the process of rectification, based on different boiling points of ethyl, methyl and higher alcohols, esters. In this case, all impurities are conditionally divided into head, tail and intermediate.
Head impurities have a lower boiling point than ethyl alcohol. These include acetaldehyde and individual esters (ethyl acetate, ethyl formate, etc.) formed during distillation.
Tail impurities have a higher boiling point than ethyl alcohol. They mainly contain fusel oils and methyl alcohol.
The most difficult to separate fraction are intermediate impurities (ethyl ester of isobutyric acid and other esters). When cleaning raw alcohol on distillation apparatus, harmful impurities are separated and the concentration of alcohol in the finished product increases (from 88% in raw alcohol to 96-96.5% in rectified product).

The use of alcohol
-Fuel . It can be used for rocket engines, internal combustion engines in its pure form, mixed with classic petroleum liquid fuels. It is used to produce high-quality fuel and gasoline component.
- Chemical industry . It serves as a raw material for the production of many chemicals (acetaldehyde, diethyl ether, tetraethyl lead, acetic acid, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethylene, etc.). It is used as a solvent (in the paint and varnish industry, in the production of household chemicals and many other areas). It is a component of antifreeze and windshield washers. And in household chemicals they are used in cleaning and detergents.
- Medicine . Used as a solvent, extractant, antiseptic, preservative for tinctures and extracts, defoamer when oxygen is supplied, antidote for poisoning with some toxic alcohols.
- Perfumes and cosmetics . It is a universal solvent for various substances and the main component of perfumes, colognes, aerosols, it is used in a variety of products (toothpaste, shampoo, shower products).
-food industry . It is a necessary component of alcoholic beverages (vodka, whiskey, gin, etc.), and is also found in small quantities in a number of fermented drinks, but not classified as alcoholic (kefir, kvass, koumiss, non-alcoholic beer, etc.). It is used as a solvent for food flavorings, a preservative for bakery products, and also in the confectionery industry. Alcohol is also registered as food additive E1510.

World alcohol production in 2010:
US 45,360 million liters
Brazil 24,464.9 million liters
European Union 2773 million liters
China 1897.18 million liters
India 249.48 million liters
Russia 700 million liters
Thailand 339.4 million liters
Colombia 299.37 million liters

Harmful properties of alcohol:
- has a narcotic, anesthetic and toxic effect depending on the dose, concentration and route of entry into the body, as well as the duration of exposure;
- leads to acute poisoning and death (depending on certain doses to body weight and concentrations). A lethal single dose is 4–12 grams of ethanol per kilogram of body weight. However, ethanol is a natural metabolite of the human body, and in certain doses it is used in medicine as an independent drug, as well as a solvent for pharmaceuticals, extracts and tinctures;
- causes gastritis, stomach ulcers, stomach cancer and cancer of the esophagus with prolonged use;
- causes oxidative damage to brain neurons, and with prolonged use - the death of brain neurons;
- Abuse of alcoholic beverages can lead to alcoholism.

Preparation (obtaining) of alcohol at home
To get alcohol at home, you will need a moonshine still (distillation unit) and raw materials for distillation.
To obtain alcohol from starch-containing raw materials, it is necessary to carry out the following technological operations: prepare malt; choose a yeast mash; process starch-containing raw materials; dilute malted milk; mash the main congestion; overtake mature mash; carry out the rectification of alcohol; check its quality.
The longest time is the stage of malt preparation, which, depending on the type of grain, lasts from 5 to 12 days. Also, the duration of the alcohol preparation process is also affected by the type of malt used: if green (fresh), then it is the highest, if dried at a temperature of 40 ° C and harvested for future use, then it decreases to 4-8 days.
Malt - a product of artificial germination of grains of cereals, containing active substances - enzymes. These substances break down (saccharify) starch into simple sugars, which are then converted by yeast into alcohol. The malting operation requires special cleanliness and attention. The period of germination of grains of various crops has a different duration: for barley - 9-10 days; for oats - 8-9 days; for wheat - 7-8 days; for rye 5-6 days; for millet - 4-5 days.

Malt preparation:
- grain selection . Only from good grain can high-quality malt be obtained, which is the main condition for the preparation of alcohol from starch raw materials. For the preparation of malt, grain can be used no earlier than two months after harvesting, but no later than one year after its storage. The grain should have a light yellow color, should be full, equally ripe, hard, thin-skinned and heavy, the inside of the grains should be white, loose, mealy. The grain should not contain any impurities;
- grain cleaning and sorting . Grain for malt is sifted through a large sieve to remove large litter, through a fine sieve to remove weed seeds and other small litter. Then the grain is washed in hot water at a temperature of 50°C to remove dust, chaff and other impurities. It is recommended to change the water several times until it is clean, without turbidity;
- soak . For soaking, wooden or enameled dishes are used, which must be washed clean four days before and filled up to half with raw water. Grain should not be poured immediately, but little by little, stirring constantly. After three to four hours, light grains and weeds that have floated to the surface are removed with a colander. Then part of the water is drained, leaving it at a level above the grains of no more than 25 cm. After a few hours, some grains will float to the surface of the water from time to time. They also need to be removed. In the warm season, it is advisable to change the water every 6 hours, and in the cold - after 12 hours. This is necessary to provide the grain with enough oxygen to breathe.
Soaking should be carried out until the grain is completely swollen, which occurs in two to five days, while the moisture content and weight of the grain increase to 40%. To stop soaking the grain, you must be guided by the following signs:
- the husk is easily separated from the pulp.
- the grain bends between the nails and bends without breaking.
- the skin of the grain is cracked, and the sprout is indicated.
- crushed grain can draw a line on the board like a chalk line.

Malt growing
The soaked grain goes to growth, which is carried out in a well-ventilated room. It should not be damp and stuffy.
The temperature in the room is maintained no higher than 15-17 ° C, the grains are scattered on a baking sheet in an even thin layer of no more than 5 cm, covered with a damp cloth. The influx of fresh air and humidity of at least 40-43% are necessary conditions for the formation of enzymes, so the grain is turned over after five to eight hours three to four times a day.
In the first five days of growth, it is necessary to regularly ventilate and carefully monitor the moisture content of the grain. In the next 4-5 days, the air flow is limited, which is very important for ensuring the process of starch loosening, reducing its losses in the grain. When root suckers appear, the grain layer increases to 20 cm and its temperature rises to 18-20°C. The grain begins to sweat.
An increase in grain temperature at this stage is undesirable, since the possibility of the development of putrefactive microbes increases. This undesirable process can be prevented by mixing and cooling the grain.
Malt growing is suspended in such cases:
- when the root sprouts have reached 1/3-1/2 of the grain length (12-15 mm);
- when the feather under the skin has reached 1/2-2/3 of the grain;
- when the roots are so entangled with each other that if you take one grain, 4-8 more grains will stretch along with it;
- when the grains have become malted, they have completely lost their floury taste and crunch when biting.

Signs of good germination:
- the color of the grain has not changed;
- the grains sprouted evenly;
- a pleasant cucumber smell comes from the malt pile;
- sprouts are fresh, have curls and cling to one another.
Then, mash is made from the resulting malt, from which alcohol is obtained as a result of distillation and rectification.

Obtaining raw alcohol (raw alcohol):
The tank with the fermentation product must be filled 2/3 of the way so that there is free space up to the lid. At the initial boiling of the mash in the container, it is necessary to reduce the heating temperature so that the distillation process does not occur too rapidly. And continue driving, smoothly adjusting the temperature (more - less). The correctness of the adjustment is achieved empirically. When distilling the mash into raw alcohol, monitor the temperature when the thermometer shows 95 C - this means that there is no more alcohol in the fermentation product and the process can be completed. In order to avoid the spread of an unpleasant odor, raw alcohol should be drained into a certain closed container (3-liter jar), and the tube from which raw alcohol flows should be inserted into the hole in the jar lid. Connecting hoses on the column must be made of food grade rubber. Cooling (cold water) must be supplied continuously to the cooler.

Obtaining pure alcohol:
After receiving raw alcohol, rinse the flask from the remains of the mash and pour raw alcohol into it. To obtain alcohol, remove the jumper hose from the column and install plugs on the nozzles. At the beginning of the selection of alcohol, the first 5% obtained from the filled volume of raw alcohol should be separated (drained) into a separate container, since these will be ultralight aldehydes, they can be used to dissolve paints or like gasoline, then alcohol will go. When selecting alcohol, you must also monitor the readings of the thermometer, they can range from 78 to 82 ° C. After 82 ° C, alcohol will go already with an admixture of water and will be weaker. Therefore, we remove the container into which the alcohol flowed up to 82 ° C, and put another container in its place and continue the selection of alcohol up to 95 ° C.

Obtaining ultrapure alcohol:
The peculiarity of distillation is that the selection of the first 5% received is halved, but it is better to determine the termination of the first selection by smell: if the smell is unpleasant, unlike alcohol, then the selection should be continued, and if the smell of alcohol, then the first selection can be stopped. The smell is best checked by mixing this fraction halfway with cold water. You can not get carried away with much selection, since all odors can be removed by filtering through activated carbon. You should also pay attention to the temperature of selection of pure alcohol up to 80 ° C (the lighter the vapor molecules, the cleaner and faster they evaporate). Alcohol strength 96% vol.

For most people, the word is associated mainly with alcoholic beverages. Although the use of this substance is not limited to the production of alcohol.

For example, medical alcohol, as its name implies, is used in almost all branches of medicine.

Despite the fact that the main component of its ethyl is considered poisonous, its use in small doses and as an antiseptic, the basis for compresses and a deodorant does not cause undesirable consequences.

Formula

Medical name is one of the varieties used in medicine. Therefore, they both have the same molecular formula − C₂H₅OH, representing the chemical composition of organic matter.

How many degrees?

Medical water-alcohol solution is produced by 70% and 96% (the concept of "degree" is not used now). If necessary, in laboratory conditions it is possible to obtain absolute alcohol (100%). But the dry product is hygroscopic. The moisture it attracts quickly reduces its strength to 95-98%.

Compound

Medical alcohol is made from high quality raw materials. It is mainly obtained as a result of the fermentation of grain or potatoes.

The resulting product is concentrated by distillation to form 96%.

In the composition of the medical water-alcohol solution, in addition to water, there are no more impurities.

Whereas in ethyl alcohol, depending on the degree of purification, certain substances may be present.

Can you drink?

In principle, medical alcohol is not poisonous, since various tinctures and extracts of medicinal plants are prepared on its basis, which are then taken, including orally. However, in the instructions for a water-alcohol solution used in medicine, its ingestion is not recommended.

And the point here is not at all that the product is not sufficiently purified. If medical alcohol enters the body, a mucosal burn may occur due to the high strength.

Application

As already mentioned, medical alcohol is widely used in all branches of medicine.

Medical alcohol solution is used as:

1. Antiseptic and antimicrobial agent. It begins to effectively cleanse the skin of viruses and bacteria even at a 20% concentration. However, to obtain the maximum disinfectant effect, an alcohol solution of 70% strength should be used. Treatment of surgical instruments and various surfaces in operating rooms with such a solution makes it possible to achieve their sterile cleanliness.
2. Means of general anesthesia (anesthesia).
3. The main component of tinctures, extracts and dosage forms used externally.
4. Antipyretic or warming agent. Alcohol wiping the body, due to the high degree of evaporation of the solution, allows you to achieve a powerful cooling effect that is effective at high temperatures. Conversely, vigorous rubbing helps to warm the body.
5. First aid for poisoning with counterfeit alcoholic beverages.
6. Defoamer. With the help of a concentrated alcohol solution, the IVL procedure (artificial ventilation of the lungs) is carried out. With the accumulation of foaming mucus in the respiratory tract, the patient is allowed to breathe pure oxygen, previously passed through an alcohol solution.
7. An effective decongestant. Due to the dehydrating properties of the substance, alcohol compresses applied in places of edema help to draw off excess water.
8. Preservative for storage of anatomical preparations.

How is medical alcohol different from food alcohol?

Many people are interested in what medical and food alcohol have in common. To the general These substances include the following:

• both substances are a kind of ethyl alcohol;
• both are obtained as a result of fermentation of plant materials (see:);
• possibilities of use. Although medical alcohol is used in medicine, but a high degree of purification allows it to be used in the food industry. The same can be said about its food analogue;
• both of them do not have impurities harmful to humans, therefore, they can be consumed without fear for the consequences. Naturally after dilution with water to an acceptable strength;
• they have similar strength indicators. In medicine, depending on the purpose, a 95% alcohol solution is used. Food alcohol is produced with the same strength.

However, despite the fact that food and medical alcohol have much in common, they also have fundamental differences, which include the following:

• as a raw material for the manufacture of a medical water-alcohol solution, only potatoes and grain, and of the highest standard, can be used. As for food alcohol, the use of molasses, various fruits and beet sugar is allowed here. Therefore, the quality of the first is higher than the second;
• these substances have different degrees of purification. So, in a food alcohol solution, the presence of certain impurities is allowed, which limits its use in some branches of medicine. In an alcoholic solution intended for medical purposes, there is nothing but water;
• food alcohol solution is produced with a strength of 95%. Medical strength indicators can be both 70% and 95%, depending on what manipulations it is intended for;
• and finally, these products have a different scope. If food alcohol, as its name implies, is used in the food industry, then medical alcohol is widely used in various branches of medicine.

Benefit or harm?

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether ethyl alcohol brings benefit or harm. Today it is difficult to find an area of ​​human activity, wherever it is applied.

It brings invaluable benefits in medicine as a disinfectant. With its help, sterile cleanliness is maintained in operating rooms. It is indispensable in the preparation of various types of medicines.

For a person, taking small doses of alcohol-containing drinks is also very useful. When ingested, they help to dilate blood vessels, thin the blood, thereby improving blood circulation.

It happens that only thanks to the psychotropic effect of alcohol a person manages to muffle severe pain.

The pronounced antiseptic properties of alcohol solutions have long been appreciated by cosmetologists. Based on them, most cleansing lotions are made.