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Show Meet Ethyl and Methyl Alcohol Two Most Prominent and Interesting Inter-esting Members of the Family. MANY OFFSPRINGS ARE KNOWN Difference Between Grain and Wood Alcohol Clearly Described Fatalities Fatal-ities Due to Amateur Attempts to Make Grain Alcohol. Chicago. While there are seventeen or more alcoholic products known in chemistry, there are two of general commercial use in the country ethyl alcohol, or ordinary alcohol, the kind we used to be able to buy "for medicinal medici-nal purposes," and methylated spirit, or industrial alcohol, which is popularly popular-ly called "wood alcohol," and which does contain an amount of that fluid. Ethyl or ordinary alcohol is formed hy the spiritum s or alcoholic fermentation fermen-tation of saccharine juices. The fermentation fer-mentation must be completed before it is distilled. It is made from grain, either corn, wheat, or barley. This is also known as grain alcohol. The formula is C, H, OH. Methylated spirit, or industrial alcohol, alco-hol, is made of ninety parts of ordinary ordi-nary alcohol and ten parts of wood alcohol methyl alcohol. Source of Wood Alcohol. Wood alcohol is obtained by the dry distillation of woo.1. The common method of obtaining this is to take cordwood which has been seasoned for about two years beech, maple, anil birch are best pla-oe it in iron or steel retorts over a slow fire. The intensity of the fire is gradually increased as the distillation progresses, until at the em. of from twelve to eighteen hours nothing noth-ing remains in the retort but charcoal. The distillate is passed through a condenser, and the liquid thus gathered gath-ered is allowed to set in tanks until the greater part of the tarry matter in it has subsided. The lighter part is then drawn off and saturated with slaked lime to fix the acetic acid. It is then distilled a second time and the distillate sent to the refineries as wood alcohol. Sawdust or any woody fiber or cellulose can be used In place of cordwood. Wood alcohol, either In Its pure form or as an ingredient of industrial alcohol, alco-hol, is a poison, and has a selective action upon the optic nerve, in which it often induces a condition of permanent perma-nent atrophy which results in tota! blindness. Denatured Alcohol. For some purposes- "completely de-' nainred alcohol" is imr'.e by adding to industrial alcohol a Title benzine or pyridine to spoil the taste and render it offensive. Denatured alcohol may be made more "cheaply than ordinary alcohol by using cheaper materials-such materials-such as any starchy vegetable substance, sub-stance, or a waste byproduct, as the poorest grade of molasses or the waste o.' a canning factory. "It is probable that a good deal of the wood alcohol that is being distributed distrib-uted as a beverage is the result of the attempts of amateurs to make ordinar; alcohol. In their ignorance they umc vegetable substances such as potato peelings, and, by usit.g too intense a lire and making the distillation without with-out having first allowed fermentation to take place, produce methyl or wood alcohol instead." said J. II. Nusbaum, a chemist. |