Alcohol breakdown/intoxication levels

[minendo]

I understand the basic chemistry of alcohol breakdown and its effect on the body. As you consume alcohol of higher proof, the effects occur faster. Would this remain true if you were to consume a product that was 100% ethyl alcohol? Is it even possible to consume 100% ethyl alcohol without getting extremely sick? I am curious becuase I don't know the exact role that water plays.

No I am not considering doing this, but was curious when I came across a bottle of 100% ethyl alcohol in one of our labs.

 

[Heisenberg]

Depends on how much you drink. Everclear is 95% pure and can be ingested in small quantites.

Edit: 100% alcohol is hard to make, which is why it's only in labs. They usually add a small amount of methyl alcohol to it to keep people from drinking it though.

 

[Booster]

Alcohol is one of the worst and most dangerous things in life. Those who haven't seen to what continuous consumption of alcohol through generations leads may underestamate its dangers and think it's pretty funny. :|

 

[bleeb]

Originally posted by: Booster
Alcohol is one of the worst and most dangerous things in life. Those who haven't seen to what continuous consumption of alcohol through generations leads may underestamate its dangers and think it's pretty funny. :|

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Edit: 100% alcohol is hard to make, which is why it's only in labs. They usually add a small amount of methyl alcohol to it to keep people from drinking it though.

Is there enough methyl alcohol added to cause blindness? Everclear is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) alcohols available for purchase so is there a reason why they do not produce higher proof alcohols.

 

[Booster]

Is there enough methyl alcohol added to cause blindness?

That's done intentionally, I believe. So that the recepient couldn't repeat that. (<---joking 😉)

 

[MrBond]

Yes, there is 100% pure alcohol that is drinkable, however, it is VERY difficult to get. At my old job, one of the lab techs was talking about the stacks and stacks of paperwork needed to get some for a process they were testing out where they couldn't use denatured alcohol. Denatured absolute alcohol (the kind in chemistry labs in schools) will do nasty things to you if you drink it.

I know a kid who did about eight shots of everclear once and was sick for TWO DAYS. We think now that he may have had alcohol poisening.

Chances are if you ran across 100% ethyl alcohol in your lab, it's denatured, ie: undrinkable. Drinkable absolute ethanol would be under lock and key

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Edit: 100% alcohol is hard to make, which is why it's only in labs. They usually add a small amount of methyl alcohol to it to keep people from drinking it though.

Is there enough methyl alcohol added to cause blindness? Everclear is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) alcohols available for purchase so is there a reason why they do not produce higher proof alcohols.

It's hard to make 100% alcohol because it forms an azeotrope with water (95% ethanol, 5% water) that boils at 78.15 C. Since this is below the boiling point of water, you have to chemically extract the water to get 100%......this usually leaves some chemical residues in the absolute ethanol that will make you sick as a dog.

 

[Anubis]

we used to have drinkable absolute ethanol here. but one of teh profs gave the key to a frat dude and we nolonger have it or give out keys.

everclear is basically teh strongest stuff you can buy. 190 prood 95% . and its bad. you can take shots of it. i wouldent recomend doing this tho. its best mixec with some kind of fruty punch of some sort

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
we used to have drinkable absolute ethanol here. but one of teh profs gave the key to a frat dude and we nolonger have it or give out keys.

everclear is basically teh strongest stuff you can buy. 190 prood 95% . and its bad. you can take shots of it. i wouldent recomend doing this tho. its best mixec with some kind of fruty punch of some sort

Mmmmm....hunch punch. Had more than my fair share of that crap back in school.