Methanol+(rubbing+alcohol

__Methanol __ Carson Zellman Block D (disregard the "rubbing alcohol" which is from ethanol)

How is Methanol made?

Methanol is the simpliest of the alcohols. Its main use is to help in the making of other chemicals. Methanol is used as a solvent, and as a antifreeze in pipelines for example. Methanol, though very simple, is used in many ways and it helps shape life today. Methanol is colouress, flamable, and is environmentally friendly. Methanol is not man made, it is made naturally by a variety of bacteria. A small fraction of methanol is vapourized in the atmosphere. This methanol in the atmosphere burns in the air with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Equation : 2 CH3OH + 3 O2 → 2 CO2 + 4 H2O. Though it is not man made, in labs, it can be made using carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce methanol. Equation: CO + 2 H2 → CH3OH. Often a catalyst is added to this reaction, the most effective is a combination of copper, zinc oxide, and alumina. As well, methanol contributes to the making of industrialized ethanol. It acts as a denaturant additive. Methanol allows ethanol to exempt from liquor excise taxation. This would help in the making of rubbing alcohol or drinking alcohol used today. Health wise, methanol is very toxic and can cause blindness or even death if dranken.  How does Methanol effect us? Methanol effects us in many ways. First off, in the 70's there was an oil crisis. There was a demand for a replacement of gasoline as resources was declining. They tried methanol and it worked as it's environmentally friendly and cheap. Some vehicles even use methanol as its only fuel. Unfortunately, gasoline is still the main fuel use, but there is still some methanol in gasoline to reduce harmful emissions. In places such as the US, they use coal to produce methanol. This is accually a non-harmful way to produce methanol. In fact, some plants producing methanol in the US is said to be one of the cleanest in the world.

(anti freeze product) Methanol is not just an alternative fuel. It is also in many plastics. Yes, plastics are not environmentally friendly but methanol can be easily burned. Unfortunately, it does produce some carbon dioxide which is bad for the environment. However, all in all it gets a good rating for its pollution. Methanol is also used in some fleece jackets and shampoos. As said before, methanol is used in a lot of chemicals which means it is in a lot of things we use today. Without methanol, many of the things we use might not even exist. Gasoline will produce even worse pollution. Fact is, methanol is everywhere. Even though it is a simple alcohol, it is very diverse and one of the most important compounds in the world!

Interesting Facts Interestingly, another name for methanol is wood alcohol. Methanol is often called wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly as a byproduct of the destructive distillation of wood. Methanol is often used as a solvent in HPLC and LCMS. Methanol is one of the main compounds used in a labratory. It is very useful because it acts as a great solvent, as a denaturant, and is water soluble. Astronomers have discovered clouds of methanol in space through telescopes. Methanol can be found anywhere because methanol as a gas is denser than air, thus falling to the ground.

In my opinion, the most interesting fact about methanol is that it is the number one fuel for a lot of racecars, partically Indy cars. Methanol is used because it burns very cleanly which causes fewer engine problems. It also gives higher speed and acceleration to the cars. Methanol also has better milage, making it great for racecars. My question is, if methanol is a good fuel and is environmentally friendly, why isn't it used MORE as an alternative fuel? I guess that's a question for a more educated person in the fuel industry to answer. (methanol fuel cell for racecars) Sources for my Information

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