Thread: Sterilization with 200 proof ethyl-alcohol?

I'm submerging my blades in lab grade 200 proof ethyl-alcohol for about 5 minutes. Will this be sufficient for sterilization purposes?

Alcohol kills by denaturing the cell walls when it evaporates. So, I don't know if the time left soaking is important, so long as all surfaces are wet, so much as letting it dry off before wiping it down, or otherwise removing the alcohol.
Alternatively, you could strike a match near it when it's drying, and it should be very sterile
Good luck,
G

According to wikipedia, in the US,

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Alcoholic proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume when measured at a temperature of 60°F (15.5°C). Consequently, 100-proof whiskey contains 50% alcohol by volume; 86-proof whiskey contains 43% alcohol.

Meaning that 200 proof is 100% alcohol, fyi.

You might want to dilute it a bit. (80%)
Alcohol is most effective when its not 100% pure.
Somehow it needs the water to work properly.

Originally Posted by gronk

Alcohol kills by denaturing the cell walls when it evaporates. So, I don't know if the time left soaking is important, so long as all surfaces are wet, so much as letting it dry off before wiping it down, or otherwise removing the alcohol.
Alternatively, you could strike a match near it when it's drying, and it should be very sterile
Good luck,
G

Cool, gronk, thanks! And welcome to SRP!

Originally Posted by 0livia

You might want to dilute it a bit. (80%)
Alcohol is most effective when its not 100% pure.
Somehow it needs the water to work properly.

We use 70% in the labs to sterilize our bench and equipment. Link to source?

Originally Posted by 0livia

You might want to dilute it a bit. (80%)
Alcohol is most effective when its not 100% pure.
Somehow it needs the water to work properly.

hence the "cutting" of moonshine

Sorry, none, just from the top of my pumpkin.

Here's another tidbit about alcohol sterilization:

Originally Posted by internet

True sterilization with alcohol is NOT effective. There is a big
difference between sterilization vs. sanitization vs. disinfection. The
difference from a 12 log reduction in [pathogen] count to a 2 log reduction,
1,000,000,000,000 to 100. Each has its own requirements.
Which do you really have to do? This depends on where the electrodes will
be going. If they are going into a human (brain electrodes), you need
de-pyrogenation (anti-endotoxin) as well as sterility by overkill method
or "F sub-o" (12 log reduction of Clostridium botulinum or 6 logs of
Bacillus stearothermophilus spores).

Alcohol only kills gram positive coccus well (emphasis added) e.g. Staphylococcus aureus.
BUT, not G+ rods (Bacillus, Clostridium) i.e. not endospores, not
yeast (yeast like to make alcohol and are tolerant of ethanol but less
tolerant of IPA, about 50 times less tolerant according to my studies),
alcohol will also not mold spores. Gram negative are usually killed if
not in too high bioburden. In fact, low bioburnen (<2 logs) is always
advisable.

50-70% IPA is optimum for G+ cocci...polio vaccine had a problem
in attennuation for a similar reason (alcohol contant was too high and
protected the viruses).

Do you really need sterilization (unlikely)? Use heat if possible, dry
heat 200C for 2 hours or steam 15 PSIG for 15 minutes or "F sub-o" = 15
minutes at the coldest spot in the load (not just the chamber).
Sterilization depends on both time and temperature. i.e. autoclave

Originally Posted by 0livia

Sorry, none, just from the top of my pumpkin.

and what, praytell, does the bottom of your pumpkin say?