Brief introduction of methanol:
Methanol, also known as hydroxymethyl, is an organic compound and the simplest saturated monohydric alcohol. Its chemical formula is CH3OH/CH4O, in which CH3OH has a simple structure and can highlight the hydroxyl group of methanol. CAS number is 67-56- 1, molecular weight is 32.04, boiling point is 64.7℃, and molar mass is 32g/mol.
It is also called "lignin alcohol" or "lignin essence" because it was first discovered in dry distillation wood. The lowest dose of human oral poisoning is about 100mg/kg body weight, and 0.3 ~ 1 g/kg can cause death. It is used to make formaldehyde, pesticides and so on. And used as extractant of organic matter and denaturant of alcohol.
Characteristics of methanol:
Colorless and clear liquid, whose vapor and air can form explosive mixture, and produce blue flame when burning. The critical temperature is 240.0℃; The critical pressure is 78. 5atm。 Can be mixed with water, ethanol, ether, benzene, ketone and other organic solvents. Its steam and air form an explosive mixture, which will cause combustion and explosion when exposed to open fire and high heat energy.
Can react strongly with oxidant. In case of high heat, the internal pressure of the container rises, which is in danger of rupture and explosion. There is no flame when burning. Will accumulate static electricity and ignite its steam.
The above data are from Zhihu.
Main uses of methanol:
1, used in fine chemicals, plastics and other fields.
Methanol can be used to make many organic products, such as formaldehyde, acetic acid, methyl chloride, methylamine, dimethyl sulfate and so on. It is also one of the important raw materials for pesticides and medicine.
2. Making new clean fuels
After deep processing, methanol can be used as a new clean fuel and mixed with gasoline.
3. Production of formaldehyde
Methanol can be used to produce formaldehyde, and formaldehyde can be used to produce adhesives, mainly used in wood processing industry, and secondly used as a treatment agent for molding compounds, coatings, textiles and paper.
4. Production of acetic acid
Another main use of methanol is to produce acetic acid. The consumption of acetic acid accounts for about 7% of the global demand for methanol, which can produce vinyl acetate, cellulose acetate and acetate. Its demand is closely related to the demand of coatings, adhesives and textiles.
5, manufacturing methyl formate
Methanol can be used to produce methyl formate, which can be used to produce fine chemical products such as formic acid and formamide, and can also be used as pesticides, fungicides, fumigants, tobacco treatment agents and gasoline additives.
6, manufacturing methylamine
Methylamine can be made from methanol. Methylamine is an important fatty amine, which can be separated into monomethylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine from liquid nitrogen and methanol, and is one of the basic chemical raw materials.