The key difference between mineral spirits and denatured alcohol is that mineral spirits appear as clear liquids, whereas denatured alcohol appears in violet colour.
Mineral spirit and denatured alcohol are two important types of solvents. These are organic solvents, and their compositions and applications are different from each other.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Mineral Spirits
3. What is Denatured Alcohol
4. Side by Side Comparison – Mineral Spirits vs Denatured Alcohol in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Mineral Spirits?
Mineral spirit is a clear liquid derived from petroleum, and it is important as a solvent for paints. Mineral spirit is also known as white spirit and mineral turpentine. Mineral spirits are organic solvents. When considering the composition of this spirit, it is a mixture of aliphatic, open-chain or alicyclic hydrocarbon compounds. This liquid is, hence, water-insoluble.
The applications of this spirit include use as an extraction solvent, as a cleaning solvent, as a degreasing solvent, as a solvent in aerosols, paints, wood preservatives, etc. Furthermore, this spirit shows fairly low acute toxicity and is classified as an irritant.
What is Denatured Alcohol?
Denatured alcohol are alcohols useful for general needs. These liquids are made unfit for drinking by the addition of about 10 per cent methanol and typically also some pyridine and a violet dye. Therefore, we also call it methylated spirit. This spirit contains ethyl alcohol mixed with other chemical substances; such chemicals include methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, and benzene. Since it is highly toxic due to the addition of toxic substances such as methanol, this liquid is not suitable for human consumption.
Furthermore, the denatured alcohol appears a colourless solution, but these solutions are often coloured by adding aniline for easy recognition. Therefore, this solution usually appears in a violet colour. The presence of ethyl alcohol and methanol makes methylated spirits toxic, extremely flammable and volatile. Our skin can easily absorb this spirit due to the presence of methanol. Therefore, we should not use this liquid to make perfumes or bath products. In addition to these, it has a bad odour and a poor taste as well.
Denatured alcohol is important as a solvent, hand sanitisers, cosmetics, and as fuel for heating and lighting, etc. The colourless form of this liquid is important to kill mildew on leather surfaces. Furthermore, we can use it as a solvent for dissolving compounds like glue, wax, and grease. As it does not react with glass, we can also use it for window cleaning. Although it is not good for human consumption, it is still important in cosmetic production due to its antibacterial activity.
What is the Difference Between Mineral Spirits and Denatured Alcohol?
Mineral spirit and denatured alcohol are two important types of solvents. The key difference between mineral spirits and denatured alcohol is that mineral spirits appear as clear liquids, whereas denatured alcohol appears in violet colour. Moreover, the mineral spirit is a mixture of aliphatic and open-chain or alicyclic hydrocarbon compounds while denatured alcohol is ethanol in a mixture with chemicals such as methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, and benzene. In addition to these, mineral spirits have low acute toxicity while denatured alcohol has high toxicity.
The below infographic lists more differences between mineral spirits and denatured alcohol in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Mineral Spirits vs Denatured Alcohol
Mineral spirits and denatured alcohol are organic solvents, and their compositions and applications are different from each other. The key difference between mineral spirits and denatured alcohol is that mineral spirits appear as clear liquids, whereas denatured alcohol appears in violet colour.
Reference:
1. “White Spirit.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Mar. 2021, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “White spirit” By Sweetie candykim – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Denatured alcohol” By Dluuc – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia