Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Removing oil residues: ethanol vs. isopropanol

Gargamel - 13-7-2019 at 07:51

I'd just like to know what is the stronger solvent for oil:

Isopropanol or ethanol, lets assume both are 99%.

Ubya - 13-7-2019 at 09:19

ethanol is more polar, but now by very much, so in theory IPA should be better to remove oils

fusso - 13-7-2019 at 10:20

What oil? alkanes, alkenes and triglycerides are all different.

Gargamel - 13-7-2019 at 13:37

Hi,

well in this case it's some kind of mineral oil, petroleom kind of stuff.

Deathunter88 - 14-7-2019 at 10:34

Quote: Originally posted by Gargamel  
Hi,

well in this case it's some kind of mineral oil, petroleom kind of stuff.


Neither will be your best choice, naphtha/xylene/toluene will give you much better results.

Gargamel - 14-7-2019 at 10:43
Quote:

Neither will be your best choice, naphtha/xylene/toluene will give you much better results.


Also better results in destroying plastic and rubber parts.

No, the question here is really only isopropyl VS ethyl alcohol for mineral oils.

happyfooddance - 14-7-2019 at 14:02

Quote: Originally posted by Gargamel  

Quote:

Neither will be your best choice, naphtha/xylene/toluene will give you much better results.


Also better results in destroying plastic and rubber parts.

No, the question here is really only isopropyl VS ethyl alcohol for mineral oils.


Do you not have access to IPA/etOH/and mineral oil to see for yourself?

Mineral oil is not well-defined so what mineral oil you have might not be the same as someone elses'.

Amos - 14-7-2019 at 16:10

Call me crazy but it might not be a bad idea to douse the affected surfaces with a vegetable oil first and then remove excess vegetable oil with an alcohol. Mineral oils aren't super soluble in either of the alcohols you mention, and even though they do have some sparing solubility, you'll find by testing it yourself that they are very stubborn to dissolve.

SWIM - 15-7-2019 at 14:18





If the alcohol doesn't do the trick, and you can access these parts well enough to scrub them a bit, you might want to consider dishwashing liquid.
The stuff people use at the sink, not the stuff they use in the dishwasher.
Here in the US it's stuff like Palmolive, or Dawn.

Just rub it into the oil without adding water and it will tend to emulsify the oil into a goop which cab then be rinsed off with water. It really does cut oils and stubborn tars very well when applied undiluted.

I do this to get engine grease and motor oil off my hands without resorting to harsh chemicals. (Yeah, I know they have commercial mechanic's hand cleaners, but I'm too cheap for that.)

Amos - 16-7-2019 at 08:03

Quote: Originally posted by SWIM  




If the alcohol doesn't do the trick, and you can access these parts well enough to scrub them a bit, you might want to consider dishwashing liquid.
The stuff people use at the sink, not the stuff they use in the dishwasher.
Here in the US it's stuff like Palmolive, or Dawn.

Just rub it into the oil without adding water and it will tend to emulsify the oil into a goop which cab then be rinsed off with water. It really does cut oils and stubborn tars very well when applied undiluted.

I do this to get engine grease and motor oil off my hands without resorting to harsh chemicals. (Yeah, I know they have commercial mechanic's hand cleaners, but I'm too cheap for that.)
Honestly yes, I second this. No need to resort to "chemical" means.

TmNhRhMgBrSe - 16-7-2019 at 08:08

Why not just use soap?

Gargamel - 23-7-2019 at 12:17

Well it's about hydraulic fluid in tubings that should be used for air afterwards. So the tubes should be - well, not absolutely oil free but dry...

At work I only have isopropanol or ethanol. So question is only which one is better, even if both suck;)