Eli5 Isopropyl alcohol vs regular alcohol

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Would 90% grain alcohol have the same disinfect properties as standard isopropyl? Also why is it that one will put you in a coma but the other just gives you a hangover?

In: Chemistry

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Also, higher alcohol content does not automatically mean its better at disinfection. Too high an alcohol content can make some infectious agent dehydrate and turn into spores (IIRC) and thus not killing them.

For isopropanol, 70% is about optimum for chemical disinfecting. I use a much higher proof isopropanol for my alcohol lamp though because the additional water in 70% alcohol weakens the flame

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