Anhydrous Alcohol
Best Quality Goods is your dependable anhydrous ethanol sourcing partner. We can supply guaranteed pure ethyl alcohol from your preferred geographical region or agricultural origin. We can also provide tailor-made solutions, as always underpinned by our excellent service standards.
What is anhydrous ethanol?
Anhydrous ethanol (also known as anhydrous alcohol, absolute alcohol, absolute ethyl alcohol, ethanol 199 proof/200 proof, pure ethyl alcohol or extra neutral anhydrous alcohol) is pure alcohol. ‘Pure’ is here defined as alcohol with anywhere between a minimum 99.5% alcohol and a maximum of a few parts per million water content (‘anhydrous’ means ‘containing no water’).
How is anhydrous alcohol made?
Standard alcohol is produced by distillation. This process can create a solution with a maximum purity of approximately 95% alcohol and 5% water. But to create pure ethyl alcohol you must remove all traces of water.
This is done by a process known as azeotropic distillation. Azeotropic distillation is a method of separating azeotropes (mixtures that cannot be separated by normal distillation). At 95% purity, ethanol and water form an azeotrope. So a third component (for example benzene, mineral spirits, turpentine or quicklime) is added to the mixture. This changes the relative volatility of the two liquids, so that the water and ethanol become separated, leaving pure ethanol. The resulting anhydrous ethanol will contain trace quantities of the material separation agent.
Ethanol can also be produced synthetically, the resulting synthetic anhydrous ethanol being 99% pure.
Anhydrous ethanol uses
The uses of anhydrous ethanol include as a solvent in laboratory and other specialised industrial contexts, where water reacting with other chemicals present would be a problem. An example would be the electronics industry, where sensitive equipment may be seriously damaged by coming into contact with water. Other anhydrous alcohol uses range from fuel manufacture, where low water content is also crucial, to a solvent in lacquers, where the lack of moisture makes the lacquer harder and clearer.
Synthetic anhydrous ethanol is often used, for example, in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, though nowadays some cosmetics companies avoid using synthetic alcohol as part of their wider commitment to using only natural products.
Certifications
All our products are ISO 22000 certified and compliant with REACH. Additionally, we can certify your product as Kosher, Cosmos-approved, Ecocert, USP Grade or GMO-free. More information can be found on our certifications page.
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