Thread: Ethanol
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Rod Speed Rod Speed is offline
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Default Ethanol



"Fredxx" wrote in message
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On 10/03/2021 23:52, Rod Speed wrote:


"Custos Custodum" wrote in message
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On Thu, 11 Mar 2021 06:17:28 +1100, "Rod Speed"
wrote:



"Fredxx" wrote in message
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On 10/03/2021 02:56, Rod Speed wrote:


"Fredxx" wrote in message
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On 10/03/2021 01:31, Rod Speed wrote:


"Custos Custodum" wrote in message
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On Thu, 04 Mar 2021 14:05:56 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Jethro_uk wrote:
On Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:32:54 +0000, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Been quite a few scare stories in the press about how E10
petrol -
coming here later this year - will damage many older cars.
Much
of it
the usual press ********, after all E5 has been around for
quite
some
time, and is known to attack older 'rubber' flexible fuel
pipes.
Which
don't last forever anyway. Much of it generalization, but one
specific
was mentioned.
It attacks the solder used on carburetter floats (those made
of
brass).
Any comments?

I can remember when unleaded petrol was being phased in, and
some
cockwombling fire chief scored weeks of publicity saying it was
a
bad
thing as it was more flammable that real petrol.

Which suggests (as always) the 80:20 law still applies, and 80%
of
reportage is utter ********.

My feeling too. Or the articles I've read try to simplify things
for
us
peasants and invent 'science' that doesn't exist.


This one's a classic of pseudo-scientific misdirection:
https://www.theautochannel.com/news/...r-out-air.html
(Adverts at about 11:20)

One said the ethanol absorbs moisture from air.


It does; it's hygroscopic. But not noticeably so (see above).
However,
you can't separate them again by simple fractional distillation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeotrope

And that 'condensation'
will attack lead, zinc, brass, copper and of course steel. As
well as
rubber and some plastics.

I believe ethanol will dissolve some plastics (e.g., perspex?)

No it doesn't.

The consensus is that it does, but not to a marked effect with
perspex.

First link I came across:

https://www.eplastics.com/blog/chemi...lic-plexiglass

Which says, with
absolute ethanol G - Little or no damage after 30 days of
constant
exposure to the reagent.
ethanol 40% E - 30 days of constant exposure with no
damage.
Plastic may even tolerate
chemical
for years.

I'm genuinely surprised with your reply, crazing of perspex with
ethanol
is well known

How odd that it didn't get a
N - Not recommended for continuous use. Immediate damage may
occur such as severe crazing, cracking, or permeation losses.

and I thought you had a chemical background?

I can read, too.

Do you disagree that where a solvent causes an amorphous polymer to
craze,

Ethanol doesn't with perspex.

I think you'll find that it does.


I know that mine doesn't.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...by_ethanol.jpg


this is because the polymer is principally soluble in it?

Perspex isnt with ethanol.

Maybe we shouldn't get too fixed on the idea of "dissolving". There
can be no question that ethanol has a detrimental effect on perspex.


How odd that mine doesn't.


Does this mean that all your posts are based on a personal example of one?

You must have been a great chemist on your day. Can't you accept there are
more people claiming that ethanol does craze acrylic than who don't?


Real science isnt about what members of the general public claim
when its so easy to actually test the claim by trying it for yourself.