Why is 70% alcohol solution a much better disinfectant than a 90% alcohol concentration? Wouldn’t a higher concentration mean better?

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Why is 70% alcohol solution a much better disinfectant than a 90% alcohol concentration? Wouldn’t a higher concentration mean better?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Simply put, water is required for the denaturization of proteins, which is how isopropyl alcohol works as a disinfectant.

Back in microbiology we used alcohol in various concentrations to disinfect surfaces, and then cultured
Them in petrie dishes. The 70% had the least growth.

Perhaps someone with a chemistry background could explain how this works.

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