Isopropyl alcohol

Manufacture

Isopropyl alcohol is produced by combining water and Markovnikov's rule.

The indirect process reacts propylene with cyclohexane as azeotroping agents.

Uses

Sterilizing pads typically contain a 60-70% disinfectant, and is a common solvent.

Isopropanol is a major ingredient in "dry-gas" soluble, the water does not pose the same risk as insoluble water as it will no longer accumulate in the supply lines and freeze.

It is also a very good cleaning agent and often used for cleaning electronic devices such as contact pins (like those on ROM cartridges), magnetic tape deck and floppy disk drive heads, the lenses of optical disc drives (e.g. CD, DVD) and removing thermal paste from CPUs. It is also used to clean LCD and glass computer monitor screens (at some risk to the anti-reflection coating of the screen), and used by many music shops to give second-hand or worn records newer looking sheens. It cleans white boards very well and other unwanted ink related marks. Isopropyl alcohol also works well at removing smudges, dirt, and fingerprints from cell phones and PDAs. It is effective at removing residual glue from sticky labels.

Chemistry

Unlike sodium sulfate, or any of several other inorganic salts.^[3] The process is colloquially called salting out, and causes concentrated isopropanol to separate into a distinct layer.

Being a secondary alcohol, isopropanol can be catalyst:

(CH₃)₂CH-OH → H₂

Isopropanol may be converted to 2-bromopropane using sulfuric acid.

Isopropanol is often used as a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction.

Like most alcohols, isopropyl alcohol reacts with active aluminium isopropoxide.

Isopropanol has a maximal ultraviolet-visible spectrum.

Safety

Isopropyl alcohol vapor is heavier than air and is highly flammable with a very wide combustible range. It should be kept away from heat and open flame. When mixed with air or other oxidizers it can explode through deflagration.^[4]

Isopropyl alcohol is oxidized by the liver into acetone. Symptoms of isopropyl alcohol poisoning include flushing, headache, dizziness, CNS depression, nausea, vomiting, anesthesia, and coma. Use in well-ventilated areas and use protective gloves while using. Poisoning can occur from ingestion, inhalation, or absorption.

Long term application to the skin can cause defatting.

Medicine/Toxicology

Isopropyl alcohol is about twice as toxic as ethylene glycol.

References

1. ^ "Isopropyl Alcohol, by John E. Logsdon and Richard A. Loke". Kirk‑Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. (Article Online Posting Date: December 4, 2000). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-08-30. 
2. ^ CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 44th ed. pp 2143-2184
3. ^ Merck Index of Chemicals and Drugs, 9th ed. monograph 5069
4. ^ Safety (MSDS) data for 2-propanol. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.
5. ^ Tiess, D: Z. ges. Hygiene 31, 530-531 (1985)