Types of Alcohol
Methyl (wood alcohol, methanol) Manufacture: By destructive distillation of wood. Also by synthesis from hydrogen and carbon monoxide under high pressure. Uses: Solvent for fats, oils, resins, nitrocellulose. Manufacture of dyes, formaldehyde, antifreeze solutions, special fuels, plastics. Ethyl (grain alcohol, ethanol) Manufacture: By fermentation of sugar, starch, or waste sulfite liquor. Synthesis from ethylene or acetylene. Direct hydration of ethylene. Uses: Solvent for products such as lacquers, paints, varnishes, glues, pharmaceuticals, explosives. Also as "building block" in making high-molecular-weight chemicals. Isopropyl (isopropanol) Manufacture: By hydration of propylene from cracked gases. Also as by-product of certain fermentation processes. Uses: Solvent for oils, gums, alkaloids, resins. Making acetone, soap, antiseptic solutions. Normal propyl Manufacture: As a coproduct of air oxidation of propane and butane mixtures. Uses: Solvent for lacquers, resins,