Now that we're talking about ethanol... Does UK have a law that allows up to 21% (or was it 22% can't remember) alcohol beverages for 18 year olds and up, and more than 21% for 21 year olds and up? And do you have an alcohol percent limit?

 

Useless scrap info of the day: Did you know that a Finnish person had blood alcohol level of over 7 promilles and survived? (Is this the world record, by the way? ) Reminds me also of the Russian nurse who came to work... 5 promilles drunk.

no, non at all.

here, when you hit 18 you can drink what you like (alcohol wise that is), at any percentage available in shops.

 

sadly most kids do too ((((

That does it, I'm moving to England.

 

"sadly most kids do too (((("

 

You should see the situation here! 13 year old kids smoke and drink +30% alcohol.

they do here too, that`s my point, although the legal limit is suposed to be 18, kids do get served from less than reputable shops that frequent almost every street corner here

Either way, the +21% restriction and alcohol percent limitation to 60% is something that sucks. Not that I'd ever care to drink any +60% alcohol.

62.5% is the highest percentage I`ve seen sold legaly, Wray & Nephew white Rum. that`s not to say that anything above that percent isn`t legal, I`ve just never seen any higher

 

oh yeah, the stuff smells great! not much of a taste per se, as the alc`s too "hot" but the smell`s lovely and makes a good mixer

Don't you Brittish fellows only drink tea and lager?

 

By the way, I always seem to get amused (probably my awful state of immaturity ) when I see "per se". I know what it means in English, but in Finnish "perse" is a sort of a dialect word for "ass". Yes, the body part. :|

I have no comment, on the grounds of self Incrimination )

 

dude, we`de better get this thread back on topic, we`re hardly setting a good example! (I`m just as Guilty!)

interesting. Here in the U.S. we have "Everclear" whic is 95%, We also have "bacardi 151", which is 151 proof. Great for the kids, only takes a shot or two and you're done for.

they sell "everclear" here too, mostly in DIY shops as paint brush cleaner )

 

I`m just kidding, Honest

 

anyway, cyaz all l8r, I gotta go.....

brits only drinking tea and larger etc... [/Quote]

 

Actually change that to BEER or ALE and it twould be more accurate.

Don't ruin my fantasy of England being a wonderful paradise made of marshmallows where people always have 5 o'clock afternoon tea and great amounts of lager before and after that!

y lager?

Don't ruin my fantasy of England being a wonderful paradise made of marshmallows where people always have 5 o'clock afternoon tea and great amounts of lager before and after that!

don`t forget the cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut orf

Ahh, Cuke Sarnies! PUKKA!

 

Noone ever seen/tasted STROH 80? I only just discovered it's from Austria (thought it was German).

 

Smells absolutely D-lish, tastes like a flameout.

 

At first it cools, but later the burning begins.

 

As for the water absorbent, I think I'd go for CaO, but...

 

-Isn't that what's called Burned Lime?

 

-Isn't it prepared by heating CaCO3 (chalk)? (carbonizing, I think it's called)

 

Burnt Lime + water = slaked lime?

 

Slaked lime + CO2 (from the air) = CaCO3?

 

Sounds like the processes used to make cement and mortar.

 

Anyway, I like my distillates "two-times" and infused with something (coffee, mint, raspberry etc.)

All of the low molecular weight alcohols have a really nice smell. I think methanol smells fantastic, but I also know that it can pretty damned quickly make me go blind and dead. lol. But pure ethanol does have a nice smooth smell to it, and a viciously painful burn to it.

I'm not sure if it's the alky itself that smells so good in STROH, it's a sort of rum-like (STROH IS rum) but strangely reminiscent of raisins.

 

As for the smell of methanol, it reminds me of youth and model airplanes.

 

Methanol, nitromethane and burnt castor oil... OH YEAH, and freshly mixed epoxy glue for those bumpy landings.

 

Very chemical days, those

mmm, nitromethane. you can get that in denmark?

if they sell the model airplanes that use those small prop engines, they`de have to sell the fuel

we can't get that around here

I asked a friend of mine in a lab who is obsessed with alcohol, he mentioned that you could use calcium oxide to distill the azeotropic mixture, but you'd have to bake the calcium oxide (standard oven time is 1 hr at 110 in our quant labs but its often depends on the cpd) and store it in a vaccum dessicator. Then reflex ethanol and calcium oxide for several hours, let it sit overnight, then distill. Not sure if this works or not ... he's kind of a nut. Also you'd probably want some pure calcium oxide ... you can never be sure what impurities remain.

 

I do know that you can distill absolute ethanol with benzene however its not fit for human consumption.

benzene isnt made for amateur labs...

Over here, you now need a membership of an accepted organization just to buy the fuel.

 

Methanol is controlled.

 

Nitro is controlled.

 

Flying the damn buzzers is also controlled (IMANGINE SOMEONE GETTING HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A COMBUSTION-POWERED BUZZ SAW!!!).

 

People DID tend to remove their heads from the flying circle at those times...

 

Also, membership is not enough. You also have to pay FAVORABLE PREMIUMS on an insurance policy, so that when you don't hit anything with your tethered plane, the insurance companies will get richer!

 

Needless to say, model airplane flying is a pastime for the well-to-do over here

methanol isnt controlled, anywhere last i checked. what is "nitro"?

These are the results of the Danish Jury!:

 

Methanol is a poison and buing it requires you to get a poison certificate from your local police station.

 

I'm not sure about "Nitro", meaning Nitromethane in model aviator circles.

 

Considering it being a main ingredient in several (impossible to make) explosive mixtures, I guess you'd have to sign your name as O. B. Laden to get a waiver.