Isopropyl Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol has a molecular formula of C3H8O and this chemical compound has other names such as propan-2-ol or 2-propanol and its abbreviation is IPA. It's a colorless liquid that is flammable and has a strong odor. This is the simplest form of a secondary alcohol where the carbon is attached to 2 more carbons and attached to an OH bond. This is shown as (CH3)2CHOH which is an isomer of propanol.

Production of Isopropyl Alcohol

Combining propene and water produces isopropyl alcohol. Two processes to produce this are by direct hydration or indirect hydration with sulfuric acid. The direct hydration is more common process used in Europe and requires a high quality propene while the indirect hydration can use a low quality propene and it's more commonly used in the United States . These two processes produce more isopropyl alcohol rather than the 1-propanol because adding of sulfuric acid or water to the propene follows the Markovnikov's rule.

In the indirect process, the propene reacts with sulfuric acid and it forms a sulfate ester mixture. By hydrolysis, the ester reacts and produces isopropyl alcohol. With direct hydration, propene is reacted with water either in the liquid or gas phase with t he presence of a solid or acidic catalyst at high pressure. The isopropyl alcohol is then distilled away from water but the isopropyl and water form an azeotrope solution with 87.9% isopropyl alcohol by weight and 12.1% water. By undergoing the azeotropic distillation, the pure anhydrous IPA is produced. Azeotropic distillation uses azeotropic agent, or cyclohexane or a diisopropyl ether.

Uses of Isopropyl Alcohol

IPA is readily available. It is like an acetone that dissolves to a large range of polar compounds. It evaporates quickly and is quite relatively non-toxic which is why it's widely used as a cleaning fluid and solvent especially used to dissolve lipophilic compounds such as oil. An example of its use is with electronic device cleaning such as contact pins, magnetic tape and with disk heads like on floppy drives or tape recorders, laser lenses in disk drives and with thermal paste removal from CPU packages, etc. It's also used to clean glass monitor screens and LCD screens. It is also used to give the worn or second-hand records have their new looking sheens again. IPA shouldn't be used for cleaning vinyl records though as they can leach the plasticizer from the vinyl thus making it more rigid. It removes smudges, fingerprints and dirt from PDA and cell phones. It is also effective at cleaning off the residual glue from the sticky labels though some adhesives used on paper labels and tapes are resistant to isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol can also remove the stains from wood, fabrics, cotton, etc. It is also used in removing traces of brake fluid from the hydraulic disk brake system so they won't contaminate with the brake pads which could result to poor braking. As an addition, you can also use it to clean the paintballs and other products that are oil based so they could be reused and this is commonly known by the term repainting.

For preservation of a biological specimen, IPA provides the non-toxic alternative as compared to formaldehyde and other preservatives that are synthetically-made. The IPA solution with 90 to 99% purity is optimal for preservation of specimens though 70% solutions can be used during emergencies. Pads for sterilizing contain about 60 to 70% of the solution in water. IPA is also used commonly in industries as a solvent or cleaner.

Isopropyl alcohol is also one of the main ingredients as fuel additive to “gas dryers”. In considerable quantities, the water mixed with the gasoline can be a problem as it freezes the supply lines during colder temperatures. With the aid of IPA, it does not really remove the water but rather it solubilizes the water with the gasoline. Once the water becomes soluble, it's no longer posing as a risk as it won't freeze or accumulate in the supply line. For windscreen de-icing, IPA is also sold in cans for aerosol.

Isopropyl alcohol has a water-drying property that is used for the prevention of swimmer's ear or otitis externa.

It is also used to clean LCDs and laptops and keyboards as a safer alternate to other cleaning products used at home.

Safety of Isopropyl Alcohol

The vapor of Isopropyl alcohol is denser than air and it is highly flammable with a good range of combustibility. It should be put in a place that is away from heat or open flame. When this is mixed with air or oxidizers, it could result to an explosion through deflagration. IPA is also reported to be able to form some explosive peroxides. Defatting can be an effect of long-term use of IPA to the skin just like with many other organic solvents.

Toxicology of Isopropyl Alcohol

The toxicity of IPA is similar to ethanol as sedative hypnotic agents and both share similarity in structure. Just like with ethanol, IPA's precise mechanism in our central nervous system still remain uncertain. The changes in the function and membrane fluidity as well as the interactions with the neurotransmitter receptors are believed to be accountable for the effects of alcohols to CNS and also with the effects of other simple hydrocarbons. The sedative effects of alcohols have a linear relationship with their molecular weight: as the size increase, sedation also increases. Thus, IPA is more potent compared to ethanol at a comparable concentration.

IPA is being oxidized by the liver and turns it into acetone through alcohol dehydrogenase. Flushing , dizziness, headache, nausea, CNS depression, anesthesia, vomiting and coma are symptoms of poisoning by IPA. Use IPA in a well ventilated area and make sure you use protective gloves as well. You can get poisoned through inhalation, ingestion or absorption.

It acts as a depressant for our central nervous system or CNS. Acetone, its metabolite is also a CNS depressant. A 70kg human can experience a toxic effect with 15 g of isopropyl alcohol if left untreated. But however, IPA is not as toxic as ethylene glycol or methanol. It does not cause the anion gap acidosis as methanol and ethanol which results to a lower pH in blood serum that causes the bicarbonate anion depletion. Osmolal gap is however also produced by isopropyl alcohol as calculated with the osmolalities measurement of serum as with other alcohols. If you overdose with isopropyl alcohol, your breath would smell fruity as the alcohol converts to acetone.