Most people who hear the word "alcohol" represent alcoholic beverages, although this substance is used not only for the production of alcohol. Medical alcohol is used in almost all branches of medicine. When used correctly, this substance rarely causes negative effects. Many people wonder what medical alcohol is made of and for what purposes it can be used? Let's deal with you.
Formula, composition and purpose
Alcohol is a type of ethanol. The substance has the following formula - C 2 H 5 OH, that is, its composition is as follows: two carbon atoms, five hydrogen atoms and OH hydroxyl group. The structural formula is as follows - CH3CH2OH, which indicates the saturation of ethanol. Physical qualities:
- characteristic smell;
- fluid structure;
- colorlessness;
- easy evaporation;
- burning taste.
Medical ethyl alcohol has a strength of 40 to 95%. Its main purpose is to use it exclusively as an external remedy for medicinal purposes, since its degree of purification is not so high, unlike edible alcohol.
Varieties
Medical alcohol, the price of which in a pharmacy is low and depends on the volume, strength and purpose, can be of the following types:
- Ant (from 9 rubles). This is a very toxic substance, which is a mixture of ethanol with formic acid (its content is 1.4%). It is used as an external agent. When used orally, it can lead to severe poisoning, gastroenteritis, and other negative consequences.
- Isopropyl (from 100 rubles). What is medical alcohol of this kind made of? For the manufacture of isopropyl. This is not poison, but poisoning after its consumption can be stronger than after taking ethanol. This is due to the fact that in the body isopropyl is converted to acetone. The toxicity of this substance is 3.5 times higher than ethanol, and the intoxicating effect is 10 times greater.
- Salicylic (from 8 rubles). This type of alcohol contains salicylic acid, which aggressively affects the mucous membrane of the digestive system. As a result, it must be used only externally.
- Camphor (from 11 rubles). What is alcohol made of? This is an alcoholic solution of camphor racemic alkaloids. The drug is very toxic. If used incorrectly, it can lead to diarrhea, weakness, nausea, and vomiting.
- Ammonia (from 22 rubles) is a solution of ammonia in ethanol. This type of alcohol strongly burns and irritates the mucous membranes. Even with inhalation of ammonia vapor, severe intoxication can occur.
- Borny (from 10 rubles). This is a good antiseptic, but after getting into the body, it destructively affects the gastrointestinal mucosa, kidneys. When poisoning occurs, vomiting with blood, swelling, cramping abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea.
- Tincture "Limanovit E" (from 28 rubles). What is alcohol of this kind made of? It consists of ethanol, citric acid, vitamin E, kelp extract. It can be used internally as a medicine. Dosage is measured in drops. If you drink tincture like vodka, there is a risk of epileptic seizures, hypertension, and vomiting.
What alcohol is made of
The main raw material for the manufacture of medical alcohol is plant mass, which contains a lot of fiber, sugar and starch. Depending on these indicators, raw materials are divided into three classes:
- Cell-containing using straw, waste sulfite-cellulose industry.
- Sugar-containing - from fruits, molasses, beet.
- Starch-containing - from potatoes, as well as cereals.
Pure medical alcohol is usually obtained by fermenting potatoes or grains. Potatoes are quickly boiled, sugared and gelatinized. Moreover, alcohol obtained from potatoes is the cheapest.
Grain can be taken any, including unsuitable for feed and food direction. The resulting substance is concentrated by distillation to obtain rectified alcohol 95%.
How do they do it?
The production technology of medical alcohol consists of three basic stages:
- The preliminary one, during which the raw materials are cleaned, washed, and malt extract is prepared with cultures of microorganisms.
- The main one, which consists in the boiling of raw materials, sugar, fermentation, distillation of mash, as well as the collection of raw alcohol.
- The final, which involves distillation purification.
To get high-quality alcohol complying with GOST, the raw material must have 17% moisture and contain a lot of starch. The product must have the characteristics prescribed in the interstate standard: consist exclusively of food raw materials, be made in accordance with the technological regulations and instructions. GOST 51652-2000 applies to rectified alcohol from grain, potatoes, sugar beets and other starch-containing raw materials.
At the preparatory stage, the raw material is cleaned of weeds, organic, mechanical impurities. For this purpose, various technological equipment is used: triers, magnetic and air-sieve separators.
In the second stage, the raw materials are boiled. It is treated with the vapor phase of the solution under a pressure of 0.5 MPa. This is necessary to soften the cell structure. As a result, starch swells and can be converted into a soluble state in order to accelerate the process of saccharification by enzymes. Due to the breakdown of starch, the volume of sugars will increase rapidly.
At the last stage, alcohol is purified on continuous distillation apparatus.
Where is the product used?
Medical alcohol is used as:
- General pain medication (with anesthesia).
- Antimicrobial and antiseptic. Even if diluted alcohol (about 20%) is used, it will effectively cleanse the skin of bacteria and viruses. But for maximum effect, it is better to take medical alcohol. How many degrees should it be? Better to take a 70-degree product. Use a substance to treat different surfaces in medical rooms and instruments to achieve their sterility.
- The basic component of extracts, tinctures, medicines that are used externally.
- Means for emergency care due to intoxication with surrogate alcoholic beverages.
- Warming and antipyretic drugs. Due to the high volatility of the substance, alcohol rubbing of the surface of the body allows you to get a powerful cooling effect. Therefore, pure alcohol is often used to reduce heat. And if you rub it vigorously with alcohol, you can quickly warm the body and body.
- Good decongestant. If you apply a compress soaked in alcohol to the site of the edema, excess water will quickly draw off.
- Defoamer. Thanks to a highly concentrated alcohol solution, artificial lung ventilation is performed. When a lot of foaming mucus has accumulated in the airways, the victim is allowed to breathe pure oxygen, which is first passed through ethanol.
- Preservative for long-term storage of anatomical components.
Differences between alcohol and food alcohol
Medical ethyl alcohol and food have some differences:
- To make medical alcohol they use grain and potatoes, while for the production of food, beet sugar, various fruits and black molasses can be taken as the basis.
- Both types of alcohol are cleaned differently. Alcohol may contain some impurities, which is why it cannot be used in certain medical sectors. Medical alcohol does not contain other components.
- The strength of medical alcohol varies from 70 to 96.5%, depending on what it will be used for.
- The scope of the products is different. Alcohol is permitted for internal use, and medical alcohol in various branches of medicine.
What is common between edible and medical alcohol?
Both of these substances are derivatives of ethyl alcohol. They can be used in the food industry, because unlike technical alcohol, they have no harmful impurities. Both medical and food alcohol have a strength of 95%. You can buy them at a low price. Some of them are freely available.
How to distinguish alcohol from methanol
Methanol or methyl alcohol is the most dangerous alcohol substitute. Its use can lead to severe intoxication with blindness. To taste, smell and color it is practically indistinguishable from ethanol. Use it for the manufacture of coatings, solvents. Only 50 ml of methanol can lead to death.
You can distinguish methanol from medical alcohol through the following tests:
- If the liquid is ignited, methanol will burn green and ethanol will burn blue.
- You can put raw potatoes in alcohol. Due to the presence of methanol, the vegetable will turn pink, but the color will not change in ethanol.
- If you dip a hot copper wire in alcohol, an unpleasant pungent odor will be felt with methanol.
What to do if a person is poisoned?
If poisoning has occurred, an ambulance must be called urgently. Until the doctors arrived, it is necessary to take the following measures:
- Lay victim on its side.
- Give him a soda solution and induce vomiting.
- Make sure that the patient does not choke in the vomit.
- To neutralize the action of methanol, it is allowed to drink 50-100 g of vodka. Qualitative ethanol is an antidote to methanol.
Is drinking alcohol allowed
This type of product is intended for external use. It is not suitable for drinking. If you drink 95% ethyl alcohol in undiluted form, you can get a burn of the mucous membrane of the internal organs and throat. Moreover, a person is immediately intoxicated. If, nevertheless, someone decides on internal use, medical alcohol should be diluted with water in a proportion of 50:50. So it will not be as strong as about vodka. You can also dilute medical alcohol with compote or juice.
In any case, remember that any alcohol, even in minimal doses, can cause severe harm to health. The safest types are edible types of alcohol, which are cleansed more thoroughly. They can be taken orally. Drinking alcohol is not recommended, but only in extreme cases. Only its use should not become a habit. Take care of your health!