How to lighten a pink solution of potassium permanganate in moonshine. Cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate at home

Every moonshiner must be sure of the quality of your product. Distilling mash for moonshine will not be something particularly difficult, but how to get really high-quality alcohol is not such an easy task.

Alcohol spoils harmful substances and a frankly unpleasant smell, so the first step is to get rid of them. There are many ways and different opinions about their effectiveness. In this article, we will try to understand the effectiveness of such a method as cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate.

Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is a black crystal with a purple tint, which, when in contact with water, form a raspberry-colored solution of different tones, depending on the amount of liquid.

From a chemical point of view, potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent, which, when reacted with other substances, precipitates. A similar picture occurs after the addition of potassium permanganate to alcohol: a precipitate forms at the bottom, which is subsequently removed from there mechanically.

It's very simple, unrefined alcohol can be harmful to health person. It includes:

1. Ethyl.
2. Fusel oils.
3. Methyl alcohol.
4. Acetaldehyde.
5. Formic acid and other impurities.

All of them are unsafe for a living organism and are harmful to health. To make an alcoholic drink safe, you need to clean up chemically or biologically, overtake a couple of times, filter, let stand for several days and at the same time know how it is all done correctly.

How to clean at home?

There are several options for cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate. The process is complex but labor intensive. should be adhered to established rules and precise proportions.

Method number 1

The purpose of the method is to precipitation of harmful impurities contained in alcoholic beverages.

In this case, potassium permanganate is dissolved, in proportion 20 grams per 10 liters alcohol and put the finished container with alcohol in a dark, cool place for at least 10-12 hours. The bright crimson color of the resulting solution during this time will noticeably fade to transparency, and a dark residue forms at the bottom of the bottle. This is a signal that you can proceed to the next stage of purification of moonshine - to filtration.

In order not to bother too much, use conventional water filter. If it is not there, then the filtration is carried out using a watering can and cotton wool. Well, if there is no watering can, take an ordinary plastic bottle and cut it off. At the bottom of the watering can / bottle, tightly lay cotton wool or gauze with an adsorbent (often coal). If the filter is clogged, change it.

After all the processes, distill the moonshine again. Without a second race, it will be cloudy in appearance, harmful to the body and with a strange aftertaste, which is why you don’t want to drink it. Therefore, we can talk about readiness to drink alcohol only after. This is how we easily clean the moonshine with ordinary potassium permanganate.

Remember, too much of a good thing is also bad, repeated distillation will ruin your drink. Three times is enough.

Method number 2

Another way to clean moonshine with manganese is a little different. The distillate must be heated to a temperature of 38-40 °. Then add potassium permanganate in the same proportions as in the previous method and stir all the time.

The solution is left in a dark room at least 3 days. Then everything is by analogy: we get rid of the sediment and filter. This method differs in more efficient cleaning, but one more distillation will not become superfluous.

Method number 3

This method is also called combined, since with it we will clean the moonshine potassium permanganate and soda. Baking soda can neutralize acetic acid. We take 3 grams of potassium permanganate, fall asleep in a glass of boiled water and wait for it to cool down.

Add this liquid to, shake. After 20 minutes, add 1/3 of a teaspoon of soda. Further, the technology is the same as in the previous 2 cases: we put it in a dark room for 10 hours, filter it and again, or better two, we distill it.

Is it possible to use potassium permanganate in moonshine?

It has long been believed that cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate is not so effective at home and, in general, that potassium permanganate is very harmful and dangerous for purification. Some also claim that it lowers the degree of the drink, and it is not so easy to get it. You don't have to be so prejudiced about it. Potassium permanganate received its negative reviews mainly due to violation of cooking technology, and especially because of poor-quality filtration and non-observance of the necessary proportions.

Of course, for the best effect, you can combine several different methods, and in order not to harm yourself, you need to filter better and not be lazy to overtake again. As for potassium permanganate, it does not affect it in any way if you dilute it correctly.

Today you learned how to clean moonshine with ordinary potassium permanganate. By following all the recommendations, you will get high-quality, crystal clear and mild-tasting moonshine.

Because alcohol boils and evaporates at a lower temperature than water, it can be separated. However, not all so simple. This process is complicated by the fact that, in addition to ethanol, mash contains various types of alcohol and other chemical compounds. Therefore, cleaning moonshine, for example, with potassium permanganate, is a prerequisite for the manufacture of home-made alcohol. The presence of some by-products gives moonshine its special taste and aroma. The content of some of them is acceptable in small concentrations, while others should be removed as far as possible.

Substances contained in Braga

During the distillation process, less tasty and often harmful substances come out first. The distillate of the first vapors should be drained, as they are more volatile alcohols.

Features of ethanol

Ethanol is the main type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, but it has many other uses.

As a solvent safe for human contact or consumption (in moderation), ethanol is an important ingredient in modern medicines, perfumes, fragrances, and dyes. It is also a valuable renewable fuel capable of powering internal combustion engines.

For such a versatile and beneficial compound, ethanol is easy to make, and its production by sugar fermentation is one of the earliest organic reactions used by mankind. Ethanol has a boiling point of 78.2°C, making it easy to separate from water by distillation.

Fusel oils

Monohydric aliphatic alcohols, in everyday life called "fusel oils", stand out at the end of distillation.

The use of the term "fusel oils" is incorrect, since it implies the presence of several oils. In fact, it is a mixture of several alcohols, ethers and other substances. Fusel oil can contain up to 40 different ingredients and even more.

Oils are formed by fermentation, so they are present in varying degrees in beer, wine, cider, other fermented beverages, and the alcohol derived from them.

After familiarizing yourself with all the possible components of homemade alcohol, which is formed during fermentation, it should be clear that before drinking homemade alcohol, it must be thoroughly purified. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting poisoned.

Moonshine cleaning

Almost any moonshine has its own special taste and aroma. He is not liked by everyone. Therefore, some connoisseurs of home-made alcohol mask unpleasant odors by insisting it on all kinds of berries and roots. However, this is the wrong approach to solving the problem, it is much more important to purify alcohol by removing all harmful substances from it.

There are many cleaning methods, such as cleaning with activated carbon, freezing, baking soda and other ingredients. However, in this article we will take a closer look at the chemical method. For it, potassium permanganate is used, or, as it is called in everyday life, potassium permanganate.

The benefits and harms of chemical cleaning

Potassium permanganate is one of the strongest oxidizing agents. She willingly enters into chemical reactions with essential oils, which just give moonshine a peculiar taste, and partly with ethanol itself. Thus, potassium permanganate can bind fusel oils, turning them into insoluble or slightly soluble substances, which are subsequently easy to filter.

Different moonshiners speak differently about the chemical method of cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate. They say that this is a proven and reliable way to get rid of harmful impurities, while others argue that potassium permanganate is a very dangerous product, that it can cause even more harm to the body than the same fusel oils contained in unrefined alcohol.

Harm of potassium permanganate

Both those and others are right. Potassium permanganate can actually react with ethyl alcohol to form acetaldehydes, which were described above.

Some of the substances that are formed as a result of the reaction of potassium permanganate with ethanol may have a pleasant aroma, sometimes it may resemble the smell of fruits. It oxidizes alcohol. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right ratio of potassium permanganate and alcohol.

The benefits of potassium permanganate

How then to explain the positive reviews, because many people write that they have been cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate for many years, everything is fine with them, and no one has ever sent them alcohol?

It seems that these two points of view are mutually exclusive. But in fact, everything is simpler. It all depends on the amount of potassium permanganate and re-distillation.

If you use a moderate amount of potassium permanganate, then you can actually clean the raw alcohol from harmful connections.

Potassium permanganate contributes to:

• saponification of esters;
• acid neutralization;
• oxidation of aldehydes and unsaturated compounds.

As a result of chemical treatment, the amount of volatile impurities in the raw material is reduced, which facilitates the further purification process.

So, the benefits of potassium permanganate are obvious. It is actually capable of removing harmful impurities, all these substances precipitate, but it is far from easy to calculate the correct ratio of potassium permanganate from alcohol.

Chemical cleaning methods

There is a special mechanism for calculating the amount of potassium permanganate, which was described in the book "Production of alcoholic beverages" written by A. K. Dorosh. It makes no sense now to go into the details of these calculations, since they are possible only in laboratory conditions, with special equipment. However, you can use one of the methods below.

1 method

Use the following ratio: 1-2 g of potassium permanganate for every liter of your moonshine.

1. Mix thoroughly. The liquid should take on a pinkish tint.
2. Now you need to stand for at least 12 hours so that potassium permanganate can bind harmful components.
3. Additionally, use other cleaning methods, such as activated charcoal, to protect yourself, and rerun.

2 method

Potassium permanganate cleans fusel oils, baking soda neutralizes acetic acids, alkali and other harmful impurities. For 1 liter of moonshine you will need:

How do you feel about this cleaning method?

FineI do not advise!

• 300 ml of water, preferably hot;
• 3 gr. potassium permanganate;
• a tablespoon of ordinary soda;
• salt, 1 tbsp.

First of all, potassium permanganate is dissolved in water, then moonshine is poured into the solution, which must be cleaned. All this time, the solution must be stirred with a wooden stick or spoon. After a quarter of an hour, you need to mix everything again and add the remaining ingredients to it, namely salt and soda.

This solution should be filtered no earlier than 12 hours later. After that, it needs to be overtaken again.

Some moonshiners claim that after using potassium permanganate, homemade alcohol acquires a metallic taste. However, they did not re-distill with the "head" removed.

After chemical purification, alcohol with potassium permanganate must be filtered with activated carbon or cotton wool. After that, it must be overtaken again. After distillation, moonshine must be absolutely transparent and harmless, of course, provided that the technology was not violated during its manufacture.

It is always recommended to use several cleaning methods, not to be lazy and combine them. Health and well-being is much more important than the time that will be saved if the moonshine is not subjected to additional purification.

Many believe that we should be indebted to Peter the Great for the appearance of strong alcohol, which he brought from Europe to Russia. Like, until the beginning of the 18th century there were no such drinks in the country at all. One cannot agree with this fundamentally. The process of fermentation and distillation was known even under Ivan the Terrible. Then the process of making the "invigorating potion" was treated with special respect, observing the entire manufacturing technology, using secret ingredients, thanks to which the drink turned out to be as pure as a tear. Due to the high cost of moonshine, only the highest ranks and nobles could “drive” it, while the local “poverty” could only be content with home-made brew. Today, many secrets of cleaning a freshly brewed drink are forgotten. Although there are some left that are still used by those who know how to drive moonshine. How to clean with potassium permanganate, for example, everyone knows in any village in Russia.

The history of moonshine: from antiquity to the present

Moonshine - the name itself implies to action - to drive, both literally and figuratively. At different times, it was subjected to persecution: it was banned, sold only to the rich, made from such a vodka that people died when using it.

But the beginning of moonshine was encouraging: back in the 14th century in Rus', people found that fruits or vegetables left in a warm place for a long time rot, releasing carbon dioxide and forming a weak degree of alcohol. Subsequently, it was revealed that when this substance is heated and “distilled”, the output is a “royal” drink. It was also experimentally proven that the use of wheat or rye grains as raw materials significantly improved the taste and quality of moonshine. As for the question of the "purity" of the drink, in those days, increased importance was given to crystallinity: from 1 ton of raw materials, only 30 liters of the purest moonshine were obtained.

Cooking processes have improved over the centuries. By the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century. Russia became the producer of the best and most delicious moonshine that was in all of Europe: they were given to ambassadors and nobles, sold to foreign merchants and merchants, treated to important guests and nobles.

Today, the processes have accelerated, and special claims are made to the quality: the people want a fortress and a “hit in the head”. When asked whether it is necessary to clean the moonshine, today it is worth saying affirmatively: “It is absolutely necessary, and it is better in several ways at once.”

Necessary ingredients for making a drink

What is good moonshine? Fortress, crystal or taste? Or healing properties? The answer is all of the above. In addition, the drink has truly miraculous qualities:

• they can be rubbed with a cold;
• disinfect (do not be surprised, moonshine can be up to 96 degrees, the main thing is to be able to “drive” it);
• use as an aperitif for better digestion of food.

Moonshine can be made from any raw material. The point is that this drink, unique in all respects, leading in all respects over others (whiskey, cognac, bourbon, brandy, tequila, rum, grappa), can “chase” from almost all improvised “materials”:

• berries;
• fruits;
• vegetables;
• cereals;
• jam, jam, honey;
• dairy products;
• wine, juices, kvass;
• bakery products;
• pl. others

That is, only those ingredients that are subject to the fermentation process are needed. And the irreplaceable and most important finalizer of everything is sugar, which helps to speed up the fermentation process. The main thing is that the products are of high quality and natural, then you get the best moonshine. How to clean with potassium permanganate or other methods? More on this in the next section.

Aspects from the production process: from mash to the final product

Every self-respecting moonshiner has at his disposal special equipment for the production of this divine drink at home:

• distillation cube - an iron (preferably stainless steel) vessel that serves to heat the mash;
• coil - serves to cool vapors;
• copper tubes - necessary to connect the cube to the coil.

The moonshine production process includes the following steps:

1. Preparation of the basis for the future drink - mash.
2. Heating the latter and distilling it with the help of a specialized cube, after which it will turn into the final product.
3. Purification of fusel oils.
4. Odor removal.

Many people want to clean it from impurities and odors after receiving moonshine. Question: "How to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate?" - in principle, it is asked regularly on various forums and pages. To do this, you need freshly expelled moonshine and potassium permanganate, and several stages of action. But besides the latter, there are many more ways to painlessly and easily remove all unnecessary "particles" from the drink.

The easiest way to remove fusel oils

Having expelled moonshine, many calm down and rejoice at the resulting drink. But if life and your health are dear, you should finish what you started. It is necessary to clear the drink of all impurities and fusel oils without delay and a shadow of doubt. Many of the proposed methods (for example, how to properly clean moonshine with potassium permanganate) or heard recipes are not always convenient and partly costly.

Freezing is the simplest option for removing all excess from moonshine. The following ingredients are required:

• freezer;
• moonshine;
• vessel.

Due to the severe frost, everything and excess liquid will freeze, but the real and clean moonshine will remain. As a result, by removing waste, you get a crystal clear and delicious drink.

Potassium permanganate: one of the best ways to clean moonshine

How to clean with potassium permanganate? You won't find an easier and better method! To do this, you should go to the pharmacy (if not at home) and purchase manganese powder, which will help moonshine expel all unwanted neighbors from its composition.

The composition is as follows: for 1 liter of freshly expelled moonshine, only 2-3 grams of manganese is required.

After pouring it into a bottle, you need to shake the contents well - the drink will acquire a characteristic pink-scarlet color. Then leave the vessel alone (preferably a place devoid of sunlight) for 1-2 days. After the time has elapsed, a precipitate forms at the bottom of the bottle, which collected all the “extra” consistency.

To improve the effect, after adding manganese to the vessel, you can also put the latter on a steam bath on low heat (20 minutes). Then strain through cotton wool. The drink is cleaned and ready to drink!

The most practical and effective way to cleanse using soda

After distillation, moonshine usually has a sharp and not so pleasant smell, which completely discourages any desire to taste it. To get rid of annoying notes of stench, you should clean the drink with soda. How to clean moonshine with soda is a simple task, and its process is quite pleasant and uncomplicated.

For this you will need:

1. 10-15 grams of soda.
2. 1 liter of freshly distilled moonshine.
3. Free time and patience.

It is necessary to stir the indicated amount of drink and soda, and then do not touch for 40 minutes. Next, shake the vessel with moonshine again, leaving the contents in the vessel for a longer period - 12-24 hours.

After the expiration of the specified time, the drink is cleaned perfectly. It is necessary to remove the top layer (on average, it is 2-3 cm of unsuitable for drinking liquid) and sediment (soda and fusel oils, impurities). What remains between the top layer and the bottom is the purified moonshine, which will be clean as a tear and with a neutral smell.

As a result, the task of how to clean moonshine with soda is solved, and its procedure will not take much time and money. Baking soda is available at any grocery store and is ridiculously low. Because of what, this cleaning method is one of the most budgetary.

Charcoal cleaning as the most environmentally friendly method

The use of natural products (environmentally friendly and safe) is the best way to clean moonshine from impurities and harmful oils. One such method is the use of charcoal.

This is one of the oldest and most proven methods, since there have always been a lot of forests in Rus', and Russians have always been able to use the benefits of nature.

Since it is necessary to follow certain stages and procedures in which he will lose all the negative, ennobled to the level of a "royal" drink.

Stage 1 - you need to get coal. To do this, you should find a suitable wood, preferably fresh, green. It is better to give preference to linden and birch. Having chosen the required number of branches (it is better to take trees no older than half a century), you need to kindle a fire. After burning, hot coals should be placed in any dish with a lid, and left to cool completely. Next, you need to crush the coals to a fine state.

Stage 2 - preparation of ingredients:

• Charcoal - 100 grams;
• Moonshine - 1 liter.

After mixing the liquid with the component, place the vessel in a dark place and leave for 7 days. Note: shake the vessel at least 4 times a day. After the expiration of the period, you need to leave the vessel completely alone for another week.

Stage 3 - straining moonshine with gauze or cotton wool.

from bad smells

Many moonshiners, having “expelled”, in their opinion, a wonderful drink, are subsequently upset - incomprehensible oils are present in a strong substance, and the smell is so sharp that the nose cannot withstand such a test. If you don’t know how to get rid of such “neighbors”, then all the product will be unsuitable for further consumption. Why the subsequent question: “How to clean moonshine from the smell?” - very relevant.

First you need to clean the drink from turbidity and oils. After passing through this stage, you can use numerous spices to refine moonshine. Among them, especially respected are: fennel, mint, vanilla, allspice or red pepper, fresh horseradish root, bison, oak bark.

You can also use the ancient method for cleaning moonshine from the smell, which was used in Rus'. It will take 50 grams 500 grams of ordinary black raisins (white will not work). Pour into a vessel with moonshine, keep in a dark place for at least 30 days. After the expiration date, strain through cotton wool several times. The drink will lose all smells and tastes, saturated with pleasant aromas of violets and grapes.

Benefits of using cleaning

Any product made from even the most environmentally friendly ingredients may contain harmful impurities and particles that can harm the human body. How does it work? In natural products, during their processing (chemical or otherwise), there is a release. To do this, a cycle should be carried out to remove all harmful substances from the final product.

So, during the primary “race”, “pervak” comes out - the dirtiest and strongest moonshine. In no case should it be mixed with a subsequent drink after it. Only delete!

Today, there are a huge number of ways to clean moonshine from impurities and odors. You just need to follow simple tips, and then the drink will be clean and safe.

Beginner moonshiners often doubt whether it is harmful to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate? This method is very old and proven, so the consumer will not receive any negative effect on the body. On the contrary, the moonshine will be cleaned, it will take on the best look.

Numerous ways to improve the drink only prove that you can get a first-class and crystal drink from a nasty "mash".

Storage methods: from temperature to a specific location

To expel moonshine is not so bad. Next, you need to clean it from impurities and a pungent odor that can scare away even the most persistent. According to the recommendations of experts, moonshine should be cleaned with potassium permanganate and soda immediately after its “distillation”. But the process does not end there either. Its taste and general condition directly depend on the storage conditions and the container in which it will be located.

So, you need to exclude the following containers from storage methods:

• plastic bottles;
• wooden barrels (if you do not want to get cognac);
• metal vessels (aluminum, copper, steel).

Only glass, ceramic bottles, jars or vessels may be used. Some also use stainless steel barrels for storage.

As for the temperature, it does not play any role: both with minus and with positive drops, the drink does not lose its properties.

Moonshine, according to most experienced producers, gets better at high degrees. It is even recommended to cork it in a bottle and put it in the attic of the house (where it is more than 40 degrees higher in summer) for 10 years. During this time, the drink will change, turning into nectar.

You should also exclude places where direct sunlight falls.

Moonshine is an ancient occupation of the Slavs, who independently prepare an alcoholic drink in various ways. Homemade is obtained by distillation of mash. At the end of the process, the drink must be cleaned. To date, there are several methods for removing sediment and impurities. In this case, consider the pros and cons of cleaning with potassium permanganate itself.

The most dangerous are the following components contained in a home-made drink: acetic acid, methyl and amyl alcohol, and also acetaldehyde. To drink one hundred grams did not cause poisoning, it is necessary to clean the drink.

Cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate - myth or reality

The method of cleaning with potassium permanganate is the simplest and at the same time effective. The process usually takes about 10-12 hours. The cleaning procedure is very simple, so a weak solution is prepared in a separate container, for which 2 g of potassium permanganate is taken per 50 ml of boiled water. Stir the liquid until the crystals are completely dissolved. The resulting solution is designed for 1 liter of finished moonshine. Since potassium permanganate is a powerful oxidizing agent, as a result of interaction with alcohol, harmful chemical compounds begin to be released, so it is important to carry out the second stage of distillation. The proportions of the preparation of the solution are preserved.

The benefits and harms of cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate

The advantages of this cleaning method include the ability to remove the precipitate that has fallen as a result of distillation, reduce the amount of fusel oils contained in the liquid, and potassium permanganate also neutralizes the part. At the same time, do not forget that potassium permanganate is an oxidizing agent that reacts with various substances and forms a precipitate. Separately, it is worth mentioning the interaction of the product with ethanol. Cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate at home leads to the formation of such substances hazardous to health:

1. Potassium hydroxide is an aggressive alkali that is used to regulate the level of preservatives.
2. Acetic aldehyde is a powerful carcinogen found in coffee and tobacco smoke, but not in large quantities. This substance provokes addiction, and when accumulated in the body, oncological diseases can begin to develop.

After analyzing the information, we can conclude that the harm from potassium permanganate when cleaning moonshine significantly outweighs the meager benefits. That is why it is best to remove impurities using a complex method. In this case, the negative impact of substances forming as a result of oxidative reactions is minimized.

Good results in cleaning fusel oils of moonshine are given by a mixture of potassium permanganate and soda. Sodium carbonate is allowed to quickly neutralize acetic acid, which is formed as a result of the interaction of alcohol and potassium permanganate. To begin with, you need 1 tbsp. hot water put 3 g of potassium permanganate. Stir the solution until the crystals are completely dissolved, and then, it should be cooled. Pour the resulting amount into 1 g of moonshine and mix well. Leave for 20 minutes, and then repeat the mixing process and put soda, considering that 1/3 teaspoon of powder should fall on 1 liter of alcohol. After that, the drink should be left for 12 hours. After the time has elapsed, a precipitate forms at the bottom, so the moonshine is carefully drained and then filtered. It is recommended to carry out 1-2 more distillations, which will remove both the remaining fusel materials and the cleaning agents used, that is, soda and potassium permanganate. The result is a strong drink that should be diluted with spring water.

Purification of moonshine with potassium permanganate will remove harmful impurities and oils that will necessarily be present in alcohol after its distillation. This cleaning method is very popular today and is often used by moonshine makers. To understand how effective it is, it is necessary to consider the features of the cleansing process using potassium permanganate and possible precautions when using it.

Unrefined alcohol can be very dangerous to humans, as it contains many harmful impurities, including:

• fusel oils;
• acetaldehyde;
• methyl and amyl alcohol;
• formic and acetic acid.

And this is not the whole list of substances that can provoke poisoning or intestinal upset. At a minimum, after drinking such an alcoholic beverage, well-being may worsen.

Impurities in moonshine

To neutralize home-made moonshine, it is usually cleaned chemically or biologically, distilled several times, filtered and infused. Using various cleaning methods, you can remove not only harmful impurities, but also get rid of a specific smell.

In this case, the main condition is a low degree. If moonshine is strong, then it will be very difficult to eliminate the characteristic smell. Before cleaning, it is recommended to dilute moonshine to + 35 ... 40ºС.

There is another very important point. We clean the moonshine only when it has completely cooled down. In addition, before the procedure, he needs to be allowed to stand a little. 24 hours will be enough, but longer is possible.

At home, moonshine can be cleaned in different ways. Some use bread for this purpose, others use milk. You can also use soda, coal (activated, coconut or wood), egg white. Very often a combination of cleaning methods is used. For example, they combine activated carbon and potassium permanganate or baking soda and potassium permanganate. This is due to the fact that potassium permanganate cannot completely filter moonshine from fusel oils and harmful impurities. If one nevertheless uses one potassium permanganate, then the distillation of the drink is done several times.

The use of potassium permanganate in moonshine from a chemical point of view

The cheapest and easiest way to improve this product after the distillation process is to use potassium permanganate, this reagent is used very often at home. This is primarily due to the availability and cheapness of the chemical. Potassium permanganate can be bought at any pharmacy, and its price is very attractive.

The potassium salt of permanganic acid is represented by dark purple crystals, which, upon contact with a liquid, turn it crimson. Hue saturation will depend on the concentration of the chemical reagent. The more potassium permanganate, the darker the solution will be.

1. An oxidizing agent such as potassium permanganate, interacting with other substances, can precipitate.
2. In the process of home brewing, this is exactly what happens when purifying alcohol.
3. Substances hazardous to health are precipitated, which is an indisputable plus.
4. But when potassium permanganate and ethanol interact, new compounds are formed that can harm: potassium hydroxide, acetaldehyde and manganese oxide.
5. This is the first thing to remember when using a chemical reagent in home brewing.

In addition, potassium permanganate does not provide 100% purification, so other methods are used in parallel to improve the quality of the product.

Rules for the use of potassium permanganate when cleaning moonshine

How to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate? Such a question may arise only for beginners, since experienced moonshine makers have used such a popular cleaning method at least once. The process itself is very convenient and understandable in execution: you just need to add the powder to the distillate. No additional preparation is needed, the main thing is to follow certain rules and recommendations.

The process of purification with potassium permanganate can be carried out in 2 ways.

1. In the first case the powder is mixed with a drink, left in a dark place.
2. After 10-12 hours of exposure, the solution will change color significantly.
3. The bright crimson hue will change to pale pink.
4. In addition, a precipitate with harmful compounds and fusel oils will fall out.

After that, filtering starts.

• For this purpose, you can use an ordinary household filter designed to purify water.
• The mixture of carbon powder and ionizing resins contained in the cartridge absorbs and retains harmful components.

Such filtration significantly improves the quality of moonshine. Alcohol will become transparent, acquire a milder taste, and the characteristic smell will disappear.

You can also use another filter that is easy to make yourself. Aged moonshine is poured through a watering can with a layer, where cotton wool, gauze and charcoal powder are used as a filter.

1. With the second method moonshine is first heated (+ 38 ... 40 ºС), and only then potassium permanganate is added.
2. To completely dissolve the chemical reagent, the mixture is constantly stirred using a wooden spoon.
3. Only after the liquid becomes a uniform pink color, the solution is left to infuse.
4. During the course of the reaction, moonshine should be in a dark place.
5. Usually 3 days are enough for all suspensions to react and precipitate.
6. You can understand that the purification process is completed by changing the color of the solution.

Regardless of the method chosen, the proportions must be strictly observed. Then the moonshine will turn out to be of really high quality and will not harm your health. For 1 liter of alcohol, 2 g of powder will be required.

Pros and cons of cleansing with potassium permanganate

If you clean moonshine with potassium permanganate, what is the ratio of benefits and harms? This question worries many, since it is known that harmful compounds are formed as a result of the reaction between alcohol and potassium permanganate. But since after filtration, a second distillation is usually carried out, which makes it possible to remove the remaining impurities, the need to use potassium permanganate is in doubt.

By itself, the method of purification using such a chemical reagent is not very effective and brings minimal benefit, while the harm from the reagent can be very noticeable.

First of all, the danger is caused by such a compound as acetaldehyde. Accumulating in the body, the substance gives rise to alcohol addiction, can cause cancer and is harmful to health in general. But the danger is associated precisely with its overabundance, since when drinking alcohol, our liver itself produces acetaldehyde. Thus, the body receives a double dose.

In order to qualitatively clean moonshine and not harm health, it is recommended to use combined cleaning methods, where potassium permanganate acts as the main component. As additional substances, you can use salt, soda, milk or rye bread. The most successful is the combination of potassium permanganate and soda.

The additional use of sodium bicarbonate will achieve a better level of purification:

• soda will neutralize some of the acetic acid;
• the component will give the drink a more noble taste;
• it gets rid of bad odor faster.

By itself, soda does not give an expressive result, but in combination with potassium permanganate, the cleansing process will be more effective and safe. It is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. First, a manganese solution is prepared in compliance with the proportions (2 g of the substance is taken per 1 liter of water).
2. The soda solution is prepared according to a different proportion: 10 g of soda is taken for 1 liter of moonshine, which is dissolved in 10 ml of water.
3. First, soda is added to the moonshine, and then potassium permanganate. After mixing, the mixture is kept in the sun for about 30 minutes.
4. The next step is to soak the moonshine in a dark place for about 12 hours.
5. The final stage is the filtration of alcohol.

After filtering, moonshine is distilled again for better purification from impurities.

Manganese against fusel oils

Potassium permanganate in large doses is very harmful to the human body.. But it is this substance that is the most popular in the purification of moonshine. An aqueous solution of potassium permanganate, entering into a chemical reaction with other components, significantly oxidizes them.

As a result, a thick sediment in the form of flakes of various sizes can form in the solution at the bottom. This sediment is harmful impurities in moonshine. It turns out that its purification with potassium permanganate is really useful.

In fact, during the chemical reaction of manganese and ethanol, other compounds that are no less dangerous to the human body are formed, for example, potassium hydroxide and acetic formaldehyde. These harmful substances can accumulate in the human body slowly poisoning and killing it.

For this reason, it is necessary to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate strictly in accordance with the rules and strictly observing the indicated dosage. Otherwise, fusel oils will be eliminated, and even more dangerous additives will appear in moonshine..

It is because of the formation of such hazardous substances during cleaning that many moonshiners refuse to use potassium permanganate. But with a competent approach to the purification process, no negative consequences should arise.

Important! Purification of moonshine with potassium permanganate necessarily implies another distillation of the product after its use. Only in this case, the finished alcoholic drink will be safe for health.

Application at home

There are two different ways to rid an alcoholic drink of harmful impurities and clarify it with potassium permanganate:

Reference! The fact that the purification process is over is clearly indicated by the changed color of the drink. If, when manganese is added to alcohol, the color was bright crimson, then at the end it becomes pale pink, and a cloudy precipitate appears at the bottom of the dish.

Regardless of the chosen purification method, after the end of the procedure, the alcoholic drink should be distilled again. At the same time, only a drink obtained in the middle of distillation can be used for direct ingestion. The first and last 150 ml are not recommended to be taken orally. It is in them that there will be a limiting concentration of alkalis and acetic formaldehyde.

What to do if the drink turned yellow after cleaning?

Quite often, after such purification, the color of moonshine changes to yellowish. This is not something to be afraid of. According to experienced moonshiners, it is precisely this change in the color of the drink that indicates its high-quality purification. Therefore, there is no obvious need for clarification of moonshine.

If the color of the drink does not inspire confidence, then you can try to lighten it:

1. 05, tsp should be added to 1 liter of alcoholic beverage. hydrogen peroxide.
2. After 10 minutes, add a pinch of baking soda diluted in 15 ml of water there.
3. the solution must be thoroughly mixed, filtered and distilled again.

Sometimes the yellow color of moonshine indicates that the purification process has not occurred to the end. Therefore, knowledgeable people recommend cleaning an alcoholic beverage not only using potassium permanganate, but also using other means. In simple terms, the alcohol needs to be purified two or three times before re-distillation. Then the output will be a really clean and safe product.

Substitutes

You can clean moonshine not only using this component. There are many safer, but no less effective ways to cleanse the drink:

1. using baking soda and salt. The cleansing procedure itself is similar to the use of manganese. For 1 liter of alcohol add 1 tsp. soda, mix and insist, then filter. The sediment from the bottom of the dishes is simply poured out.
2. The crumb of black bread is crushed and poured into a bottle with moonshine, mix and infuse for 5 days. Then they filter. During the aging time, the yeast completely absorbs all fusel oils and harmful impurities, without compromising the taste and color of the drink.
3. You can also use regular milk, ideally goat milk.. Add 1 glass of milk per liter of moonshine. Insist in a dark and warm place for about 3 days, then decanted without raising the sediment. Elements present in goat's milk, reacting with the components of alcohol, collects harmful additives in the form of flakes at the bottom of the dishes.
4. Activated carbon, is used most often due to its availability and ease of use. 5 crushed tablets are poured with a liter of alcohol and infused for 3 days. Then the drink is carefully filtered through a charcoal filter. Moonshine purified in this way is completely harmless to health and has a transparent color.
5. Egg white allows not only to clean moonshine from fusel impurities, but also significantly lighten its color. All that is needed is to add beaten egg whites to alcohol with constant stirring and leave the solution to settle for 10 hours. Then the moonshine must be carefully filtered. For 1.5 liters of alcohol, three proteins are required.

All these analogues of potassium permanganate are available and easy to use, and most importantly, they are completely safe. They allow you to remove harmful impurities, lighten the color and smooth out a pronounced specific aroma.

Competent purification of this alcoholic drink in several stages makes it possible to obtain a natural, aromatic and safe drink of almost any strength. The main thing to remember is that its purification with potassium permanganate always requires additional re-distillation.