We are going to Vietnam this year for holiday and I’ve read horror stories of poorly distilled alcohol in cocktails and such. Several tourists have died from methanol poisoning.
Would it be feasible to build a small detector for methanol? I’m okay with either a small chemical identification test or something like an IR spectrum analysis.
There are commercial test kits for professional laboratories but I need something affordable for regular consumers.
You must log in or register to comment.
This is a good occasion to go alcohol-free during holiday.
Or at least refrain from ordering alcohol at bars, restaurants, and only buy it from stores when it’s a clearly labeled bottle (contents/ingredients, origin, producer) that you will open and pour yourself.
Am considering that. Though it’s quite nice to have a gintonic and watch the sunset.
The need for such a device depends where you drink. And life skills.
Ever bought any illicit drugs? Taken or done anything that could enhance your life? Own a gun? Thought about using it for a split-second?
Do you see yourself a potential Darwin Award winner? Are you in training?
Everything is a risk-reward balancing act. If your day-to-day analysis of that continuous series of balances is repeatedly flawed then best not go. Best not step out of your house. Or room. Or Bed. Depending.
Vietnam is lovely. Went a few years ago as part of a group thing. And I checked today: I am still alive. I prefer the north to the south: people with nothing will share and engage with you, the south provides you with all the opportunities to buy stuff from curbside ventures you could ever wish for (read between the lines).
They will bombard you with details of the ‘American war’ which as a British bloke was rather sad. Maybe some of you know that history.
Man, if I were half a planet away from home in a government and policing regime I didn’t understand, in a foreign culture, the last thing I would be doing is getting intoxicated, let alone getting so drunk I risked dying.
Ahh, you’ve got to live a little, even if you risk dying in the process
My investigations into home distilling convinced me that distillation doesn’t convert ethanol into methanol. Moonshine poisoning is the result of adulteration of the product, (mixing it with other intoxicants) not bad distillation.
Basically sometimes people put other stuff in moonshine to reduce their costs, or give a special buzz. There’s no guarantee that the adulterant to be concerned about is methanol.
Yeah, ethanol doesn’t get turned into methanol by distillation. But fermentation produces both and one purpose of distillation is separating them. Thats why you have to remove the foreshot. An incompetent distiller can still cost you your eyesight or even life.
one purpose of distillation is separating them
The purpose of distillation in this context is ethanol concentration. Methanol separation is possible but not really the goal.
Thats why you have to remove the foreshot
I don’t think the foreshots have a particularly higher concentration of methanol, other nasty stuff sure, but I think methanol is in pretty similar concentration to the ethanol.
An incompetent distiller can still cost you your eyesight or even life.
My understanding is that it’s people cutting the ethanol with industrial intoxicants that gets people injured/ killed. Ie people recklessly adulturing the alcohol.
The only problem I’ve heard of that’s from distilling itself and not intentional contamination is people doing freeze distillation of ciders (skin on).
That said, most of my reading has been with respect to pot stills and grain beers, maybe fermenting fruits create more methanol than grains, I still think intentional contamination with who knows what is higher on the risk list than accidentally high methanol concentrations. But if you know of specific cases I’d be happy to read them.
Methanol separation is possible but not really the goal.
If you’re producing spirits it should be your goal. Especially if there is wood in the mash.
I don’t think the foreshots have a particularly higher concentration of methanol, other nasty stuff sure, but I think methanol is in pretty similar concentration to the ethanol.
Thats wrong, methanol has a lower evaporation temperature than ethanol, thats why it’s in the foreshot.
And yes, most of the time it’s greedy business men mixing industrial methanol in their drinks, but there have been some cases of poisoning with self destilled alcohol in the Balkans, i.e
https://deutsch.radio.cz/methanolvergiftungen-der-slowakei-ursache-ist-tschechischer-schnaps-8337380
Sorry link is in german.
You could try bringing some high alcohol bottle with you and use it as treatment.
Testing alcohol by scent or by flame are neither guaranteed nor safe methods, however, to test for the presence of methanol more effectively, you can apply sodium dichromate to a sample of the beverage. To do so, mix 8 mL of a sodium dichromate solution with 4 mL of sulfuric acid. Swirl gently to mix, then add 10 drops of the mixed solution to a test tube or other small container containing the alcohol. Swirl this container gently a few times, then waft the air from the mouth of the container towards your nose by fanning the air toward you with a hand, with the container placed roughly 8-12 inches from your face. Take note of the scent: If it is pungent and irritating, methanol is present in the alcohol. If the scent is dominating and fruity, only ethanol is present, and the beverage is safe.
Source: https://www.sciencing.com/test-alcohol-methanol-8714279/
Hmm I’ve found that but that is not the kind of stuff I can take with me on the airplane.
Probably simpler to take some duty free liquor from 1 airport before your final destination, and mix your own drinks
