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Absolute Alcohol: Spirit Dried over Potash and Quicklime (Drinkwater)
Strong spirit still holds a few per cent of water. Drinkwater dried it first over potassium carbonate, then over fresh-burnt quicklime, distilling it each time from a water bath at about 82°, until its specific gravity fell to 0.794 at 15.6° (Thorpe, 1912). Keep it away from flames and stoppered: it takes water back from the air.
The picture: our diagram.
Intermediate
About 10 days
Instructions
1
1
Over potash
Over potash
Let 1 litre of strong spirit stand over 300 g of dry potassium carbonate for 24 hours, shaking now and then. Pour off the spirit.
Materials for this step:
Ethanol - Lab Grade, 95%1 literTools needed:
Potassium Carbonate (Potash)
Glass Bottles with Stoppers
Balance Scale2
2
Over quicklime
Over quicklime
Put the spirit in the retort with as much fresh-burnt quicklime, broken small, as will soak up all of it, and let it stand.
Tools needed:
Quicklime
Glass Retort
Mortar and Pestle3
3
Distil from the water bath
Distil from the water bath
Stand the retort in a water bath and distil slowly at about 82° into a dry flask.
Tools needed:
Glass Retort
Round-Bottom Flask
Saucepan
Hot Plate
Thermometer4
4
Again over fresh lime
Again over fresh lime
Return the distillate to the retort with fresh, dry, powdered quicklime, leave it a week at room temperature, and distil again slowly at 81–82°, keeping air out of the receiver.
Tools needed:
QuicklimeGlass RetortRound-Bottom FlaskSaucepanHot PlateThermometer5
5
Test and keep
Test and keep
Check the specific gravity at 15.6°: absolute alcohol reads about 0.794. Bottle it at once and keep it tightly stoppered.
Tools needed:
HydrometerThermometerGlass Bottles with StoppersMaterials
1- 1 literPlaceholder
Tools Required
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