What Is The Difference Between Rubbing Alcohol And Denatured Alcohol

Drinkable and non drinkable alcohol.

They are liquids used primarily as a topical antiseptic. Isopropyl alcohol also known as rubbing alcohol is not a drinkable alcohol. Thus if you are researching what is the difference between denatured alcohol and rubbing alcohol you are in the right column. Alcohol that is relatively safe for human consumption is ethanol based and contains much less alcohol produced by distillation or the fermentation of sugars.

Rubbing alcohol is close to 100 alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is either isopropyl alcohol or ethanol based liquids or the comparable british pharmacopoeia bp defined surgical spirit with isopropyl alcohol products being the most widely available rubbing alcohol is denatured and undrinkable even if it is ethanol based due to the bitterants added. Denatured alcohol is ethanol ethyl alcohol made unfit for human consumption by adding one or more chemicals denaturants to it denaturing refers to removing a property from the alcohol being able to drink it not to chemically altering or decomposing it so denatured alcohol contains ordinary ethyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol can be alternated in some applications.

Denatured alcohol is grain alcohol ethanol with added methanol also known as wood alcohol. The purpose is to discourage recreational human consumption by including additives that are bad tasting bad smelling or nauseating. Isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol falls under the category of alcohol since they have a oh group. It is called denatured because a poison has been added to the drinkable ethanol for tax reasons.

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To summarize rubbing alcohol works as a minor cleaning solvent and is meant to be applied as an antiseptic. This keeps the amount of alcohol in a drink much lower than the concentrationfound in rubbing alcohol. Both can be used as cleaning agents and as solvents in a variety of industries. Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent a fuel additive and for sanding or finishing purposes and should never be applied as an antiseptic or consumed.

For the reader s clarity ethyl alcohol goes through a denaturing process. Denatured alcohol or grain alcohol is consumable by humans if the alcohol is not denatured. March 19 2012 posted by dunee. A 50 50 mix of either rubbing alcohol and denatured alcohol will work for prep cleaning.

The main difference is that ipa shouldn t be used in certain applications because it won t be as effective as denatured alcohol whereas the latter shouldn t be used to replace ipa because it is highly toxic and could be dangerous.