Methanol

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Methanol
General
Systematic name	Methanol
Other names	hydroxymethane methyl alcohol methyl hydrate wood alcohol carbinol
Molecular formula	CH3OH
SMILES	CO
Molar mass	3.204 g/mol
Appearance	colorless liquid
CAS number	[67-56-1]
Properties
Density and phase	0.7918 g/cm3, liquid
Solubility in water	Fully miscible
Melting point	-97°C176.15 K -142.6 °F 317.07 °R (176 K)
Boiling point	64.7°C337.85 K 148.46 °F 608.13 °R (337.8 K)
Acidity (pKa)	1.5
Viscosity	0.59 cP at 20°C
Dipole moment	1.69 D
Hazards
MSDS	MSDS Data External MSDS
Main hazards	Flammable (F) Toxic (T)
NFPA 704	0 0 0
Flash point	11°C
R/S statement	R: R11,R23/24/25,R39/23/24/25 S: (S1/2), S7, S16, S36/37,S45
Supplementary data page
Structure and properties	n, εr, etc.
Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour Solid, liquid, gas
Spectral data	UV, IR, NMR, MS
Related compounds
Related alkanols	ethanol butanol
Related compounds	chromethane methoxymethane
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Disclaimer and references

Methanol is a colorless, odorless and nearly tasteless alcohol with the simplest chemical structure of all the alcohols. Among all the alcohol, it is the simplest alcohol, lightest, volatile, colorless, flammable, poisonous liquid which a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol. At room temperature it is a polar liquid and it is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol.

Methanol is produced as a natural metabolism of many varieties of bacteria. As a result of this it is a small fraction of methanol vapor in the atmosphere. Methanol burns in air, forming carbon dioxide and water:

2 CH₃OH + 3 0₂ -> 2 CO₂ + 4 H₂0

A methanol flame is colorless, causing an additional safety hazard around open methanol flames. Since methanol has poisonous properties, it is frequently used as a denaturant additive for ethanol manufactured for industrial uses. Methanol is also called as wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly as a byproduct of the destructive distillation of wood. It is now produced as a multi-step process: natural gas and steam are reformed in a furnace to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide; hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases react under pressure in the presence of a catalyst.

Contents 1 Properties 2 Occurrences 3 Uses 4 Applications 4.1 Automotive fuel 5 Safe Handling 6 References 7 See Also

Properties

The Molecular formula for methanol is CH₃OH. The molar mass of methanol is 32.04g/mol, the appearance of methanol is shown as a colorless liquid and the density of it is 0.7918 g/cm³ and it is liquid. The melting point of methanol is -97 C (176 K) and the boiling point of methanol is 64.7 C (337.8 K). It is fully miscible as solubility in water. The Dipole moment of methanol is 1.69 D (gas).

Occurrences

At a high temperature of 850°C, a reaction takes place when methane and steam mix together on a nickel catalyst to produce a gas according to this chemical reaction: [1]

CH₄+H₂O -> CO=3H₂

For this reaction it is called steam-methane, which is endothermic and transfers heat which places limitation on the size of the catalytic reactors which are being used. To produce syngas, methane can undergo partial oxidation with the molecular oxygen as the following equation shows:[2]

2 CH₄+O₂->2CO+4H₂

Uses

Methanol is used as a property for lacquers, paints, varnishes, cements, inks, dyes, plastics and various industrial coatings. It is also used as a production of pharmaceuticals, formaldehyde and other chemical products. Methanol appears as an ingredient in many products, from industrial solvents to windshield-washer fluid and nail-polish remover. It is also used as a fuel. Methanol tastes and smells like common alcohol and has been used as a substitute in illegal alcoholic beverages.

Applications

Methanol is a causing solution which dissolves within a common laboratory. It is useful due to its low UV of an act or instance of cutting off.

Automotive fuel

Methanol has been seen as a volume motor fuel substitute at many times during gasoline shortages. When power automobiles entered into the century, in the early part of the century the gasoline was widely introduced by the source of methanol. In the early 1920s, some looked it as a source of fuel before the new techniques were developed. As World War II began, the people widely began to think that the production of methanol was made first in Germany as a motor fuel. They were used in several German military rocket designs, under the name of M-Stoff, and also called as C-Stoff [3] [4]

Safe Handling

When working with methanol you must wear safety glasses always. Remove any source of ignition from working area. You should not breathe in the vapour, so it is wise to use a fume cupboard if available. If it is not possible, ensure that the area in which you work is very well ventilated. If methanol has been absorbed, a doctor should be contacted immediately. The toxic effects take hours to start, and the effectiveness of antidotes can often prevent permanent damage.

If methanol is absorbed, the initial symptoms of it would be central nervous system depression giving headaches, dizziness, nausea, lack of coordination, confusion, drowsiness, and with sufficiently large doses, unconsciousness and possible deaths. The symptoms of methanol are usually less severe than the symptoms which results from the quantity of ethyl alcohol. [5]

As soon as the initial symptoms have passed, the second set of symptoms arises after 10-30 hours later. It may give blurring or complete loss of vision, together with acidosis. These are the symptoms that results from the causes of the levels of formate in the bloodstream, and this may progress to death by respiratory failure.[6]

References

• Methanol Oxford, January 8, 2004
• Methanol The Coalition, The Clean Fuels Development Coalition, U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and many environmental groups.
• Methanol Multiple Authors. Wikipedia.

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See Also

• Chemistry