Ethanol instead of DNA

[Bernie May]

Can you substitute pure ethanol for DNA or does DNA have some special properties that ethanol does not have?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
DNA is ethanol.
It has toxins added to reder it undrinkable.
Generally, 5% to 10% methanol.

[Lee DeRaud]

DNA is ethanol.
It has toxins added to reder it undrinkable.
Generally, 5% to 10% methanol.And unless you're making it yourself, pure ethanol is more expensive than DNA.

And with exactly the right impurities, ethanol is a lot more expensive than DNA. :cool:

[Jason Roehl]

Note that the reason for the toxins (like methanol) is so that DNA does not get excise tax applied to it, which is what makes it cheaper than something like Everclear (190 proof, 95%, practically pure--the rest is water).

One thing I learned during my short stint as a bartender years ago is that (at least in Indiana), non-package liquor sold by a liquor-license holder such as a bar or restaurant costs them even more in excise tax. So that bottle of Jack that might cost you $20, would cost a bar $25 or $30, even though they buy it wholesale. Thus shattered my dreams of being able to buy liquor at the country club's cost...back to your regularly scheduled thread now.

[Tony Wheeler]

so what is wrong with methanol my friend races and uses it for fuel when he buys it in 55 gallon drums its less then 3.00 a gallon I have been thinking about trying it.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Methanol is VERY poisonous, it is absorbed through the skin and inhaling or drinking all will affect vision and can cause blindness, brains are affected also IIRC, it can eventually kill you.
Google Methanol and you probably get all the info you want I would expect.

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi Guys,

Leo is right about Methanol, but I'm wondering if your friend buys it. I posted a similar question many months ago because-at that time-there were some gas stations selling ethanol for about $3-4/gallon. Perhaps it is more expensive now, but is it more expensive than $15+/gallon that Lowe's has on its DNA? At that time, I figured it wasn't worth the risk. I use supposedly air tight containers and still lose a lot.
Another surprise coming out of the gas price explosion was my inability to find polyethyline foam for my vacuum chuck. Seems no store w/in 25 miles of my place in VA has it because the cost of making it has skyrocketed.
Regards All, Hilel

[Jason Roehl]

The "ethanol" that gas stations sell is a blend. It's known in the industry as E85, meaning it's 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline. Not a good substitute for DNA (or grain alcohol for that matter). The other blend is E10--10% ethanol, 90% gasoline--and has been sold for 20 years, more commonly known as "gasohol".

[Philip Morris]

I ditto the comments on methanol's toxicity.

Accordingly, I would like to add a further caution. Denatured alcohol is a generic term. In other words, it is poisoned alcohol. As such there are no prescribed chemical compositions (i.e., 95% ethanol, 5% methanol). In fact, the manufacturer can and does mix it to whatever ratio is most cost effective.

When I was getting into DNA soaking a few months back, I checked around at the local big box and hardware stores to find which brands they carried. I then went to the manufacturers' websites to look at their online Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Surprise...some of the brands contained as much as 85% methanol!

Before you ask which brand I went with or which I recommend. I can't say. We moved offices just before I decided to purchase any. A guy I was mentoring in turning happened to have a water lab at the old office. He had 35 gallons of lab grade ethanol that exceeded the expiration date for lab use that he needed to get rid of before the move.:D

[Nathan Hawkes]

Hi Guys,

Leo is right about Methanol, but I'm wondering if your friend buys it. I posted a similar question many months ago because-at that time-there were some gas stations selling ethanol for about $3-4/gallon. Perhaps it is more expensive now, but is it more expensive than $15+/gallon that Lowe's has on its DNA? At that time, I figured it wasn't worth the risk. I use supposedly air tight containers and still lose a lot.
Another surprise coming out of the gas price explosion was my inability to find polyethyline foam for my vacuum chuck. Seems no store w/in 25 miles of my place in VA has it because the cost of making it has skyrocketed.
Regards All, Hilel



Wish I could find some for that cheap!! I've been paying about $13-14 a gallon for mine. The last time I bought it it smelled "funny", meaning I think that some companies use different chemicals other than just methanol to "denature" it. I don't know what it is, and have already recycled the containers. It was not the usual brand that the paint store carried. I found that it was far cheaper to buy from a paint store than even to special order the 5 gallon size from the local hardware store. I honestly considered making my own 'still to make some. I don't drink, but don't think I could convince the revenuers that if I were to be caught. Its not worth it for a few bucks.