Need help with alcohol burner and denatured alcohol

[bigshlomi]

TL;DR Summary

How do I handle the alcohol and the burner?

I recently bought my first home chemistry kit and the alcohol burner is part of it. my questions are: what should I do with any leftover alcohol in the burner after I finish an expiriment?

after treating the alcohol in the burner is it okay to bring it back into my room (where I keep the chem kit) without worrying about any vapors?

and how should I store the denatured alcohol bottle and how should I handle it to be sure it is safe and I dont fill up my house with flamable vapors

 

[DrClaude]

Pouring the alcohol back in the bottle and closing the cap properly should be sufficient.

 

[tech99]

In a school setting we would keep the bottle in a metal cupboard reserved for flammables.

 

[gmax137]

@bigshlomi can you post a photo of your alcohol burner? Last time I played with these was 60.years ago, and I don't know how they look now.

 

[bigshlomi]

@bigshlomi can you post a photo of your alcohol burner? Last time I played with these was 60.years ago, and I don't know how they look now.

I haven't taken everything out of the box yet but here is the illustration in the instructions book

 

[gmax137]

Thanks! That looks pretty much like the one I had. I just used the metal cap to extinguish the flame, and left the cap on. I suppose I lost some to evaporation. But I used it every day, no need to pour it back into the can.

 

[hutchphd]

I have used alcohol stoves on sailboats in the galley. They are much safer IMHO than other stoves in the closed confines below deck. These are ~large burners with circular wicks and require no care other than replacing the circular cap when finished. They also prorduce a surprising amount of heat.

 

[Rive]

here is the illustration in the instructions book

That does not look like a secure cap, so pouring the remaining alcohol back to the bottle is definitely a good idea.

But: since you are playing with chemistry, I think you should try to play it right and make some plans for acceptable storage.
It's just part of the game.

 

[hutchphd]

That does not look like a secure cap, so pouring the remaining alcohol back to the bottle is definitely a good idea.

Of course in the ship galley the burners cannot tip over (unless you turtle the boat) And remember Cosmonaut Bondurenko.

 

[gmax137]

And remember Cosmonaut Bondurenko.

I never knew this. A sad tale.

 

[hutchphd]

Made perhaps more sad because the secrecy engendered by the politicians likely contributed to the subsequent immolation of the Apollo 1 crew in 1 ATM oxygenl

 

[bigshlomi]

That does not look like a secure cap, so pouring the remaining alcohol back to the bottle is definitely a good idea.

But: since you are playing with chemistry, I think you should try to play it right and make some plans for acceptable storage.
It's just part of the game.

Thank you! But... What would count as "acceptable storage" in this case? (Aside of obviously having a new closet/shelves for the chimestry stuff and separate chemicals that don't go well together. And... Specifically about the alcohol since I want to at least start to do some expurimenta and it seems crucial to almost every one of them)

 

[gmax137]

Thank you! But... What would count as "acceptable storage" in this case?

That's your decision. Do you have curious kids or cats in the house? Is anyone likely to "play" with your chemistry set when you're not there? Are there open flames in your "lab"? Etc. etc. Only you can decide.

 

[Tom.G]

Here in the States, denatured alcohol is stocked and sold in drugstores and grocery stores for general cleaning, disinfecting surfaces, and cleaning minor wounds (Ouch!).

It comes in pint (473mL) plastic bottles with a screw-on cap, and people normally store it in a cupboard in the bathroom or kitchen. A fairly tight cap is needed because it quickly evaporates in free air.

General safety concerns are pretty simple: don't drink it, and don't store it near a heat source; it will strip the oils from your skin though - just use some hand lotion if needed.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[bigshlomi]

That's your decision. Do you have curious kids or cats in the house? Is anyone likely to "play" with your chemistry set when you're not there? Are there open flames in your "lab"? Etc. etc. Only you can decide.

The main thing I worry about is the vapors. Is storing the denatured alcohol bottle in the regular bathroom cabinet (with all the cleaning agents and stuff like that) good enough? Or should I store it in a special place?

 

[hutchphd]

Read the MSDS sheet.
Are you concerned about the flammability of the vapors or the toxicity?
The most likely serious events are generated from unplanned and undetected spillage. Act accordingly.
Storage in a well marked and sealed plastic container would seem sufficient to me.

 

[Mayhem]

Denatured alcohol can be stored indefinitely with a tight screw cap at room temperature (particularly hot rooms are inadvisable). Ethanol is volatile but it's not a safety concern.

 

[Rive]

Is storing the denatured alcohol bottle in the regular bathroom cabinet (with all the cleaning agents and stuff like that) good enough?

It is. In general, what you can get in an approved 'home chemistry kit' won't require more attention that cleaning supplies. But they do require that much attention.

Your issue there is that the cap for that burner is may be (expected for a proper burner) good against vapor, but it's not good against accidentally tipping it over, for example => not secure enough for general storage and thus, it should be emptied.

If you have a proper storage cabinet where you can be sure nothing happens with it, then it may be safe enough to leave it filled, capped only. That's the way they are handled in a lab too