Xylene/xylol And Paint

[RJSakowski]

Methanol = 1 Carbon + 1 methyl group, it is the simplest alcohol
Ethanol = 2 carbons + 1 methyl group.
Both are extremely toxic to pretty much all living things.
isopropyl = a 3 carbon active group that is connected to a another group at the second carbon - it is not an alcohol. isopropanol is a 3 carbon chain with the methyl group attached to the middle carbon.
Note the names of the alcohols are almost the same as the familiar gases, methane, ethane, propane, etc. Same compounds with an -OH instead of an H at one of the carbons.
Rubbing alcohol is composed mostly of denatured alcohol.
Denatured alcohol is ethanol with additives that make it poisonous. Ethanol kills most micro-organisms on contact - it is extremely poisonous. We use 200 proof around the lab to sterilize dissection tools or to clean stuff that should not be bleached.

Not sure why I said methanol above when I should have said ethanol. No biggie, the point remains.

Unless chemistry has changed significantly since I majored in it in the sixties, a methyl group is CH3. If the forth bonding site is a hydrogen, you have methane, CH4. If it is a hydroxyl group (-OH), you have methanol, CH3OH, commonly known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol. Replacing a hydrogen with a second -CH3 to methane gives you ethane, CH3-CH3, If a hydroxyl group is substituted, you have ethanol, CH3CH2OH, commonly known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is an alcohol. Its formal name is 2-propanol and its chemical formula is CH3-CHOH-CH3. n-propanol is an straight chained isomer, commonly called n propyl alcohol. Its formal name is 1-propanol and its chemical formula is CH3-CH2-CH2OH. Both isomers have three carbon atoms, seven hydrogen atoms, and one hydroxyl group. Any saturated hydrocarbon which has a hydroxyl group substituted for a hydrogen is an alcohol. Pentanol is a five carbon alcohol commonly known as amyl alcohol.

Grain alcohol is denatured to make it unpalatable and to prevent it from being purified to a palatable state by distillation. Methanol with a small amount of benzene added is a common denaturant although other formulas are used. Grain alcohol is denatured to avoid paying a heavy tax which far exceeds the cost of manufacturing the product. Denatured ethyl alcohol was sold as rubbing alcohol when I was young but it is more common to see 70% isopropyl alcohol labeled as rubbing alcohol now. Denatured ethyl alcohol is sold with paint products as methylated spirits.

 

[joshua43214]

Picking a few nits ...

I think you meant to say that methanol = 1 carbon (CH3-) + 1 hydroxyl group (-OH) = CH3OH

...it is a hydroxyl group (-OH).

Brain fart on my part. Thanks for the correction - I actually do know the difference. I had spent the day trying to wrap my brain around methylation of DNA in a sarcoma when it should not be methylated. It is still a mystery. biochem can be really maddening at times, it gets into your head like a poison and won't go away. Sort of like a bad song stuck in your mind or a loose tooth you can't ignore. I'm not really a biochemist, but I have the programming, math and molecular bio background to make sense of it, in theory at least lol.

View attachment 120595

Is it just a massive misnoma of naming stuff?

Stuart

Not a misnomer, just things often look very similar when they are very different. Very subtle changes in a name can have very large differences in the molecule.

Sorry for derailing the thread.
Xylene is dangerous but can be handled safely with minimal PPE and common sense (don't breath the fumes).

 

[abrace]

Put a couple of coats of the paint today. Man does that stuff stink. Nasty. Good think I was wearing my 3M Organic Vapor respirator.

Xylene is nasty stuff compared to paint thinner.

I saved the used Xylene and I will see how will it settles out and clarifies. So far is seems to be holding the paint in suspension a lot longer than thinner..so it may take much longer.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[TOOLMASTER]

buying summer for summer!!!!!!


have an ant party!

 

[benmychree]

Methanol - wood alcohol
Ethanol - grain alcohol
Isopropyl - commonly known as rubbing alcohol
Tell me if I am wrong

You are 100% right

 

[tomw]

Whilst working outside with some catalyzed urethane a while back, I discovered Xylene makes ants go insane. I accidentally spilled some near an ant colony and noticed ants swarming all over the area, upon closer examination I saw they were savagely attacking each other, ripping their brothers heads and legs off, the battle raged until most were dead. It was quit fascinating to watch, I assume the Xylene erased their chemical signature so they couldn't tell who was who and just went into attack mode.

That is really interesting. I am going to send this on to my friends that study ants and see if they know about this effect. If real, it could be a big help in studying ant communication!

Thanks,

Tom

 

[uncle harry]

Put a couple of coats of the paint today. Man does that stuff stink. Nasty. Good think I was wearing my 3M Organic Vapor respirator.

Xylene is nasty stuff compared to paint thinner.

I saved the used Xylene and I will see how will it settles out and clarifies. So far is seems to be holding the paint in suspension a lot longer than thinner..so it may take much longer.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

Have you tried filtering the Xylene using coffee filters ? Seems that much of the pigment etc. could be eliminated.

 

[Eddyde]

That is really interesting. I am going to send this on to my friends that study ants and see if they know about this effect. If real, it could be a big help in studying ant communication!

Thanks,

Tom

Please let me know what they say about it?
It was a real affect as far as I can tell. Either that or an elaborate Xylene fume induced hallucination. I even tried pouring a capful on another ant colony, with the same result... I kind of felt bad about that though, It's not like I have a problem wiping out some ants with a can of poison, but reducing them to the human level, just seemed wrong.

 

[abrace]

Ok, I have let the Xylene sit. One jar sat for about 1 week, and the other for about 2. Nothing is settling out. Zero. I don't know if it is the type of paint or what, but with paint thinner and standard rustoleum within 48-72 hours the thinner is crystal clear and everything has settled out. This paint (green rustoleum hammered paint) in the Xylene never settled out.

I also tried using coffee filters, no go. It did nothing but ruin a few coffee filters. Bummer.

So, the used Xylene has now been disposed of.

Just thought I would followup.

 

[Chuck K]

Unless it had a lot of paint in it, you could have used it to thin your next batch of paint. Unless you're switching from a very dark color to a light color there isn't enough pigment in the thinner to be noticeable. I did it all the time without any problems. Sometimes I had to save some of the dirtier thinner until I was spraying the same color, but it all got used up. I'm curious....what does a gallon of xylene cost today. I was paying about 4.00 a gallon when I bought quantities of it 15 years ago. I'm guessing it's a bit more now.