How to Test for Wood Alcohol

According to the World Health Organization, wood alcohol (methanol) is a poison found in cleaning solvents, paint removers, photocopier developer and antifreeze. It is different from the alcohol sold in liquor stores, which is ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Consuming even small amounts of wood alcohol can lead to blindness from methanol poisoning. To test for an unknown pure alcohol, the sample can be boiled, as alcohols have different boiling points. The temperature at which an unknown alcohol boils will help to identify it.

Things You'll Need

• Fume hood
• Candy thermometer
• Safety glasses
• Silicone oven-safe gloves
• Hot plate
• 2 beakers
• 1/2 cup ethanol
• 1/2 cup wood alcohol (methanol)

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Prepare your experiment inside the fume hood; fumes from methanol are poisonous and can damage the lungs or cause blindness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Place the sample of wood alcohol, the sample of ethanol, the hot plate, the candy thermometer and the beakers inside the fume hood. Put on the safety glasses and oven-safe gloves. Carry out all steps within the fume hood.

• 2

  Pour 1/2 cup of ethanol into one beaker. Place the beaker on the hot plate and insert the candy thermometer into the ethanol. Gently heat the beaker until the liquid boils and record the temperature. Ethanol will boil at 172.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the hot plate and set the beaker aside to cool.

• 3

  Pour 1/2 cup of wood alcohol (methanol) into the second beaker. Place the beaker on the hot plate and insert the candy thermometer into the liquid. Gently heat the beaker until the wood alcohol boils and record the temperature. Methanol will boil at 151 degrees Fahrenheit, 21.4 degrees cooler than ethanol. Set the beaker aside to cool and turn off the hot plate. Return the cooled methanol and ethanol to the original containers.