methanol (thing)

Methanol (CH₃OH)is an alcohol compound. Alcohols are carbon compounds where a hydroxy group (-OH) has been substituted for a hydrogen atom. Methanol is the simplest alcohol because it has only 1 carbon atom. Methonal is used as a polar solvent and is completely miscible with water.

Methanol is produced conventionally through a process which takes methane and combines it with high pressure steam inside the methane steam reformer. There are actually six processing steps: feed gas purification, steam reforming, heat recovery (steam generation), compression, methanol synthesis, and distillation. Unfortunately, the MSR is a complex and intrinsicly unreliable piece of equipment. It is a tribute to those involved in the design of today's MSRs that they have managed to engineer them to be more reliable and less troublesome in service. Alternative processes and sources are being actively sought.

It is noted that methanol attacks the following materials: Copper Alloys, carbon steel, Tantalum, Titanium and Viton.

Properties of Methanol:

• Molecular Weight:32.04
• Melting Point:-117 degrees Celsius
• Boiling Point:79 degrees Celsius
• Density:0.789 g/ml
• Dielectric Constant:33 Debye at 25 degrees C
• pKa:15. Conjugate base CH₃O^-.
• Heat of Combustion:-726.1 kJ/mol

--

References:
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 74th edition, 1994-1994, David R. Lide, Editor in Chief
Chemistry, Experiment and Theory, Bernice G. Segal, John Wiley & Sons, 1985
Organic Chemistry, 5th edition, Stanley H. Pine, McGraw-Hill, 1987
Wika Handbook, Alexander von Beckerath et al, Caruna Druck, 1995
http://www.methanol.org/pdfFrame.cfm?pdf=Synetix_Methanol_Production.pdf