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Methanol - Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters
Methanol , also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with formula CH3OH (often abbreviated MeOH). It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable, liquid with a distinctive odor that is very similar to but slightly sweeter than ethanol (drinking alcohol). At room temperature it is a polar liquid and is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethanol. It is also used for producing biodiesel via transesterification reaction.
Methanol is produced naturally in the anaerobic metabolism of many varieties of bacteria, and is ubiquitous in the environment. As a result, there is a small fraction of methanol vapor in the atmosphere. Over the course of several days, atmospheric methanol is oxidized with the help of sunlight to carbon dioxide and water.
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Specification:
| Index |
Standard |
| Molecular formula |
CH4O |
| Molar mass |
32.04 g mol-1 |
| Exact mass |
32.026214750 g mol-1 |
| Appearance |
Colorless liquid |
| Density |
0.7918 g cm-3 |
| Melting point |
98--97 °C, 175-176 K, -144--143 °F |
| Boiling point |
65 °C, 338 K, 149 °F |
| log P |
-0.69 |
| Vapor pressure |
13.02 kPa (at 20 °C) |
| Acidity (pKa) |
15.5 |
| Viscosity |
5.9 × 10-4Pa s (at 20 °C) |
| Dipole moment |
1.69 D |
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USAGES :
Methanol is a traditional denaturant for ethanol , thus giving the term methylated spirit.
Methanol is also used as a solvent, and as an antifreeze in pipelines and windshield washer fluid.
In some wastewater treatment plants, a small amount of methanol is added to wastewater to provide a food source of carbon for the denitrifying bacteria, which convert nitrates to nitrogen to reduce the denitrification of sensitive aquifers.
During World War II, methanol was used as a fuel in several German military rocket designs, under name M-Stoff , and in a mixture as C-Stoff.
Methanol was used as an automobile coolant antifreeze in the early 1900s.
Methanol is used as a denaturing agent in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Direct-methanol fuel cells are unique in their low temperature, atmospheric pressure operation, allowing them to be miniaturized to an unprecedented degree. This combined with the relatively easy and safe storage and handling of methanol may open the possibility of fuel cell-powered consumer electronics, such as for laptop computers and mobile phones.
Methanol is also a widely used fuel in camping and boating stoves. Methanol burns well in an unpressurized burner , so alcohol stoves are often very simple, sometimes little more than a cup to hold fuel. This lack of complexity makes them a favorite of hikers who spend extended time in the wilderness.
Methanol is mixed with water and injected into high performance diesel engines for an increase of power and a decrease in exhaust gas temperature. This is called water methanol injection.
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