I'm not an organic chemist, but I took enough of it in order to get a degree in Pharmacy to agree with this description of the solvent properties of alcohols. Generally, alcohols like water a lot better than organic compounds (gasoline) due to their unique structure. One end of a simple alcohol is a CH3 and the other end terminates in a OH. The CH3 end likes organic compounds such as gasoline or oils which are not ionic in nature. The OH end is very ionic and loves water (H2O). When water and gasoline are mixed the two are not attracted due to this ionic charge difference. Add a little alcohol and the alcohol molecules slip between the gas and water allowing the water to attract to the OH side of the alcohol molecule and the gas to attract to the CH3 end. This makes the water appear to be solvated into the gasoline. Unfortunately adding more water causes the ionic side of the alcohol molecule to attract more strongly to the water and causes the mixture to crack into gasoline and water again since the alcohol is more strongly attracted water. This is also the reason most pharmaceutical liquids (cough syrups etc.) use alcohol as a solvent to mix drugs (organic compounds that taste terrible) into syrup bases (water, flavors, and sugars that taste nice) since the two will not mix on their own. Also on another note, I would never add a product like HEET fuel line antifreeze to my Ercoupe's fuel tanks as it is only either methanol (wood alcohol CH3OH) or ethanol (CH3CH3OH) mixed with it, as alcohols are very good oxidizers and attract water which is a strong oxidizer and oxidation of your aluminum fuel system (corrosion) is not a good thing. You are better off draining off the water in your tanks routinely. Hope this helps explain the alcohol issue.
Dan BTW, I think I need a beer now with all this discussion on alcohol. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > In a message dated 00-01-12 13:09:43 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > I'm confused (something everyone on the "other" list is well aware of). I > > thought the alcohol absorbed the water, allowing it to pass through the > > system > > and be burned. You're saying it separates out like the water. How then > > does it > > pass through the system? > > > Ah, yes. This one always gets them going. We'll probably be exiled from > this list before it's all over. So here goes: > > Alcohol is a funny molecule. It's water like on one end and oil like on the > other. If you mix a little water and a similar amount of alcohol into a lot > of gasoline, the alcohol will bind with the water on one end and the gas on > the other, thus carrying the water through the system in solution with the > gas. If, on the other hand, you add a lot of water, the alcohol will get > real friendly with the water and scorn the gas. In actuality, you'll end up > with the majority of the alcohol mixed in with the water and a little of the > water and a little of the alcohol in solution with the gas. But the 10 or > 15% alcohol in the gas will be greatly reduced with a proportional increase > in the apparent water level. > > Any organic chemists out there that want to make a non-anthropomorphical (75 > cent word) explanation? --------------------------------- to unsubscribe send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________________________ Check out the new and improved Topica site! http://www.topica.com/t/13
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