liquid=water says apparently intelligent dickhead
Just reminded by rev jayneflakes -my step-father believed something similar...

I distinctly remember him adamantly defending the idea that something could only become a liquid if it contained water. I think he didn't believe metal could become a liquid - it just went jelly-like when heated.
Orange juice was used as an example and the subject was brought up in response to something I said about pure ethanol containing no water. In which case, in his mind it would be a powder.

As he had been scholarshipped to grammar school and had a law degree this is actually quite impressive. He was also a bit of a cunt (putting it very mildly) so I feel a little bit gleeful remembering the moment of realisation he actually knew fuck all about how the world worked.
(teasus likes tea, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 15:58, 6 replies)

Those scholarship pupils are so ignorant.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 18:37, closed)

I thought it was impossible to have pure ethanol.
It has to contain a small amount of water. This could be one of those things I've been told, and didn't question. I'm off to investigate. By investigate, I mean look at Wiki.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 19:54, closed)

And done.
So, if I've understood this properly, you can have ethanol with no water, but not pure ethanol, as it will contain trace elements of the substance you used to separate the water, usually benzene. Also, your ethanol will absorb water, because ethanol really likes water, and visa versa.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 20:08, closed)

Yes, it forms an azeotropic mixture with water.
The highest-purity pharmaceutical grade alcohol we use for mouthwash is about 96% w/w.

If you wanted alcohol much purer than that you'd probably have to use a hygroscopic solid like calcium chloride to absorb the remaining water and have it mixed and filtered in a rigorously dry atmosphere.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 22:22, closed)

Actually
they use a reactive metal like sodium and re-distill it to get to 99.9%.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 22:53, closed)

Same principle.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 22 Jan 2012, 23:12, closed)