Methanol

Invented by : Robert Boyle

Invented in year : 1661

Methanol is a chemical with formula CH3OH, often abbreviated MeOH. It is also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, liquid with a distinctive odour that is very similar to but slightly sweeter than ethanol (drinking alcohol). Methanol is produced naturally in the anaerobic metabolism of many varieties of bacteria, and is ubiquitous in the environment. Methane is almost always a byproduct of organic decay and vast potential reserves of methane have been found trapped in ocean floor sediments. Methane forms continually by tiny bacteria breaking down the remains of sea life. Methanol is aloo prepared by the catalytic combination reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases under high pressures.

History of the Discovery

The ancient Egyptians are considered to be the first to discover Methanol. They obtained it from the pyrolysis of wood and utilised it, along with mixture of other substances in embalming. But Pure methanol, was first isolated in 1661 by Irish chemist - Robert Boyle, when he produced it via the distillation of boxwood. He called it spirit of box, because he produced it via the distillation of boxwood.

Development if the Discovery of Methanol

In 1834, the French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene Peligot determined its elemental composition. They also introduced the word methylene to organic chemistry, forming it from Greek methy = "wine" + hyle = wood (patch of trees). The term "methyl" was derived in about 1840 by back-formation from methylene, and was then applied to describe "methyl alcohol." This was shortened to "methanol" in 1892 by the International Conference on Chemical Nomenclature. The suffix -yl used in organic chemistry to form names of carbon groups, was extracted from the word "methyl."

In 1923 the German chemists Alwin Mittasch and Mathias Pier, working for BASF, developed a means to convert synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen) into methanol. A patent was filed Jan 12 1926 (reference no. 1,569,775). This process used a chromium and manganese oxide catalyst, and required extremely vigorous conditions—pressures ranging from 50 to 220 atm, and temperatures up to 450 °C. Modern methanol production has been made more efficient through use of catalysts (commonly copper) capable of operating at lower pressures

During the 1970s the use of methanol as a motor fuel was fuelled by the oil crisis, due to it's easily availability, low cost, and environmental benefits. By the mid-1990s, U.S. introduced over 20,000 methanol flexible fuel vehicles which were capable of operating on methanol or gasoline. In addition, low levels of methanol were blending in gasoline fuels sold in Europe during much of the 1980s and early-1990s. Automakers stopped building methanol FFVs by the late-1990s, switching their attention to ethanol fuelled vehicles. While the Methanol FFV program was a technical success, rising methanol pricing in the mid- to late-1990s during a period of slumping gasoline pump prices diminished the interest in methanol fuels.

Role of the Discovery of Methanol in the improvement of human life

• During World War II, methanol was used as a fuel in several German military rocket designs, under name M-Stoff, and in a mixture as C-Stoff.

• At room temperature it is a polar liquid and is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel, and as a denaturant for ethanol. It is also used for producing biodiesel via transesterification reaction.

• About 40% of methanol is converted to formaldehyde and from there into products as diverse as plastics, plywood, paints, explosives, and permanent press textiles.