Ethyl alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol

[FranceBB]

I made a big fat boo boo...
I cleaned my phone with alcohol 'cause I was concerned about this global pandemic and coronavirus since I use my phone everywhere, but instead of using isopropyl I used ethyl alcohol by mistake.
The result is this:

https://i.imgur.com/JIDnNfF.jpg

ImageSource() and Levels() to make it more visible:

https://i.imgur.com/1IaRV5E.png


Of course I'm now going to buy this bottle of isopropyl alcohol 99.9% to clean my screen and I won't use ethyl alcohol anymore:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2Bsj-FEvrL._AC_SY879_.jpg


My concern is: they say it's meant to be used for nails, so before making the situation even worse, can I use it on electronic appliances and screens? I don't wanna ruin any other screen, especially my 300 nits HDR laptop.
Question #2: am I screwed or will rice save my mobile phone screen?

[gonca]

From Samsung website
https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/mobile-devices/how-do-i-clean-my-galaxy-phone/
From Apple website
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT207123

[Asmodian]

Chemically isopropanol and ethanol are very very similar, if one does damage to a device the other will as well. Also, 70% is actually a better disinfectant than 99%, it is about how the alcohol interacts with cell membranes which works better with some water in the mix.

They really are almost the same thing, three carbons fully saturated with hydrogen with an OH group attached to the middle one (isopropanol) and two carbons fully saturated with hydrogen with an OH attached to one of them (ethanol).

If you used poisoned (denatured) ethanol the damage could be caused by the poisons instead of the alcohol itself. I would stick to 70% alcohol as less likely to cause problems.

[kolak]

Buy rectified spirit (95%) mix with water to get 70% and done.
For your hands do the same but instead of water get Holika Aloe 99%. Kills viruses but also protects hands (probably better mixture than any "chemical" overpriced crap out there).
Another thing- if you listen to experts close to 100% alcohol is not actually effective for coronavirus (there is no rule: more=better). Stick to 70%.

[hubblec4]

Use CDL (https://www.amazon.de/CurcuWid-CDL-CDs-Chlordioxid-Fertigl%C3%B6sung/dp/B01MRY7YFL/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_rp_c_0_4/257-9343011-5322150?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MRY7YFL&pd_rd_r=c5d0d84f-4cb8-4a58-82cb-60c6c08fe093&pd_rd_w=hrZ74&pd_rd_wg=CC3cL&pf_rd_p=fa2637af-af81-4350-a358-3417c383014b&pf_rd_r=PHMH6D1CKVEME89CJ79K&psc=1&refRID=PHMH6D1CKVEME89CJ79K)!

[Motenai Yoda]

I'd stick to use industrial produced sanityzers.

anyway to produce that damage did u bath your phone into it?
it's better to spray it on surface only, wait 10/15 minutes then clean it away, or use a soaked cloth.
(be sure to use alcohol into a well ventilated room or outside)

also cl based disinfectant can corrode metals like bleach do it

[StainlessS]

Two pretty decent videos.

by a Biomedical Engineer:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y92vXtLbD-o&list=PLuxlg1BYq9r2lBdC0pc2nJharFnJokT-h&index=6

and

Google "DIY Homemade Hand Sanitizer Formula from WHO".


I like the 2nd clip version with 3% (adjusted as I could only get 9%) hydrogen peroxide, but see first clip for info on calculations.
2nd USA clip is a bit vague, talking about 'cups' as a measure, so I used first clip for calcs, and modified the cups type stuff.

From 1st clip:


Formula for Sanitiser:

Required_alcohol_content_of_result
------------------------------------------ * 100% = Percent_Of_Available_Alcohol_Stock to use
Alcohol_Content_Of_Available_alcohol_stock


So where required % of alcohol is 75%,

Required_alc_75.0
------------------------------------------ * 100% = 79.0 % [output volume]
Surgical_spirit_95.0


Where 79% = 400ml, so 100%= 506ml


trying to figure out what a 'cup' is, [I eventually used the formula from first clip, and ingredients of 2nd clip, avoided 'cups' altogether]


TableSpoon 1/2 fluid ounce or 15 milli-liters.

Cup = 8 ounces or 250 milli-liters or 16 tablesppons.

1 teaspoon (US) = 4.929 milliliters
1 tablespoon (US) = 14.79 milliliters


2 tablespoons ~= 1 fluid ounce
3 tablespoons ~= 1 jigger (standard measure for mixing alcoholic drinks)
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons
1 gallon = 4 quarts (quarter gallon) = 8 pints = 16 cups
1 gallon (US) = 128 fluid ounces = 231 cubic inches
A fluid ounce is larger than 1/16 of a pound of water (liquid at STP).


I ended up using Surgical Spirit/rubbing alcohol [which can be Isopropyl alcohol based, or Methylated spirit based],
the meths alternative, as I could not find Isopropyl alcohol or Isopropyl alcohol based surgical spirit [sold out everywhere].

from 2nd clip, base mix I chose (aloe vera sounded too sticky to me)

Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (close to 99 percent) [or ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol]
Any Chemist

Hydrogen peroxide (3.0 percent solution)
Any Chemist

Vegtable Glycerin
Any Chemist


And maybe Motenai Yoda got it figured ok, mobile phones are not submarines [FranceBB damage looks to be fluid ingress].
(Although I used to 'accidentally' drop my old Motorola Defy into my beer as party trick, until I broke the USB charge port seal.)

[Motenai Yoda]

I'd suggest this video too (FranceBB shoudn't have issues)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMmtHmw9WG8

anyway I think is oblivious but those are for HANDS, not electronics.

[FranceBB]

Chemically isopropanol and ethanol are very very similar. They really are almost the same thing, three carbons fully saturated with hydrogen with an OH group attached to the middle one (isopropanol) and two carbons fully saturated with hydrogen with an OH attached to one of them (ethanol).

Yes, they kinda are from a chemically point of view I guess.


Also, 70% is actually a better disinfectant than 99%, it is about how the alcohol interacts with cell membranes which works better with some water in the mix.
I would stick to 70% alcohol as less likely to cause problems.

Really? Why is that? I mean, it's not like "the more the merrier", but I think that 70% alcohol must have something else with it as it's diluted and the worse thing I can think of for electronics is water... Are you sure that those products are diluted with some other things that are not harmful for electronics?

Buy rectified spirit (95%) mix with water to get 70% and done.


With water? O_O
I mean, that's gonna be ok for cleaning surfaces and my hands, but what about monitors and other electronic devices? I'm really scared of using something that contains water on a monitor! Are you really sure?


For your hands do the same but instead of water get Holika Aloe 99%. Kills viruses but also protects hands (probably better mixture than any "chemical" overpriced crap out there).


Well my hands are actually fine as I wear gloves all the time at work, along with an FFP3 mask. Besides, everyone here is tested every month and both my test came out as negative. :D
Of course, as I get back home I immediately take off gloves, wash my hands for the suggested amount of time, take off my mask, take off all my clothes, put them in the washing machine and have a shower. (Yes, I'm taking a shower every day). I've been doing this ever since the 15th of June, when I came back to work on site.


Another thing- if you listen to experts close to 100% alcohol is not actually effective for coronavirus (there is no rule: more=better). Stick to 70%.

Really? I didn't know that. I guess they didn't mention it in the daily coronavirus press conference... :(


anyway to produce that damage did u bath your phone into it?
it's better to spray it on surface only, wait 10/15 minutes then clean it away, or use a soaked cloth.

I didn't, actually. I sprayed it on the screen and then used a napkin to take it off after a few minutes when I noticed that it wasn't drying out. It's weird 'cause I've been doing it for days (from the second half of June) and it never happened 'till a few days ago when that thing popped up... but I did it just like every other time. I mean, the alcohol I used is the same and the napkin I used came from the same company that produces those napkins, so... I don't understand. When that popped up, I googled and it looks like ethyl alcohol probably got rid of the whole protective coating of the screen and that happened...

Two pretty decent videos.


Ah, ok.


Google "DIY Homemade Hand Sanitizer Formula from WHO".


These days I don't even know whether I trust WHO or not anymore, considering how badly they handled the pandemic and how many lives would have been saved if they didn't lie in the first place saying that everything was under control in October/November... Anyway, since it's you that you're suggesting it, I'm gonna make an exception and watch it this time. :)



And maybe Motenai Yoda got it figured ok, mobile phones are not submarines [FranceBB damage looks to be fluid ingress].


Yes, fluid definitely got into the screen, like, inside, like underneath the glass somehow, but I swear I didn't submerge it into alcohol 'cause I was afraid it would have been damaging the ports like microUSB, microphone, speakers etc, so I sprayed ethyl alcohol on the screen and then I used a napkin to take it off after a bit. I didn't really expect this result, though.


I used to 'accidentally' drop my old Motorola Defy into my beer as party trick, until I broke the USB charge port seal.

hahahahahahahaha :D


anyway I think is oblivious but those are for HANDS, not electronics.

Ok, got it. That's what I thought.

[StainlessS]

Disk (eg DVD/CD) cleaner is I think usually Isopropyl alcohol (~ 99.0%),
also think used to use same for Floppy drive head cleaner.
Some years back I wanted white meths (I had previously always used this as I could get is easily from where I worked),
and chemist did not have (or would not give me) white meths and suggested surgical sprit, I was a little unhappy
with the ingredients but gave it a try with no propbelms caused that I'm aware of.

Surgical Spriit (from Boots the chemist I think),
Active Ingredient: methyl salicylate 0.5% v/v.
Also contains: industrial methylated spirt 95% v/v, diethyl phthalate and virgin castor oil.

I was not too enthused by the presence of castor oil but have never found any probs due to it.

For any electronics type cleaning suggest 99.0+ % alcohol of any variety or white meths.

Anything less than 60% alcohol is useless for hand sanitiser, with 70% (what I actually finally aimed for) seemingly most peoples favorite number.

For cleaning my phone, I usually just spray my hands, rub it in a bit and then slap my hands all over the phone, getting it little more than damp.

I think the hydrogen peroxide in the mix is supposed to stop anything nasty growing in the mix (over time) due to the presence of water.

EDIT: I think my phone may have an oleophobic (oil-repellent) coating, but I also have a tempered glass screen protector on top of that.

EDIT: See image at end of this post:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Defy

[Asmodian]

Really? Why is that? I mean, it's not like "the more the merrier", but I think that 70% alcohol must have something else with it as it's diluted and the worse thing I can think of for electronics is water...

The presence of water is a crucial factor in destroying or inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms with isopropyl alcohol. Water acts as a catalyst and plays a key role in denaturing the proteins of vegetative cell membranes. 70% IPA solutions penetrate the cell wall more completely which permeates the entire cell, coagulates all proteins, and therefore the microorganism dies. Extra water content slows evaporation, therefore increasing surface contact time and enhancing effectiveness. Isopropyl alcohol concentrations over 91% coagulate proteins instantly. Consequently, a protective layer is created which protects other proteins from further coagulation.

Are you sure that those products are diluted with some other things that are not harmful for electronics?

Water is not harmful for electronics. Ions dissolved in water shorting things or water sitting in place long enough to cause corrosion is dangerous but if you are wiping down a screen, either a TV or phone, a cloth damp with pure water is the safest option. Distilled water is non-conductive and the optical coatings are never soluble in water. It also has a high surface tension so it generally doesn't go through thin cracks as easily as most liquids.

You can fill up a DIMM slot with distilled water, or soak down a GPU with the system on, and as long as you don't leave it there long enough to corrode it is fine (don't decide to deal with it in the morning). I have tested this, unintentionally, multiple times. ;)

Your hands have a lot of water on their surface, anything you touch is being exposed to water. Water is in the air. Water is safe for electronics, except most of the water we interact with has a bunch of crap dissolved in it so it is better to say that distilled water is safe for electronics.

[kolak]

With water? O_O
I mean, that's gonna be ok for cleaning surfaces and my hands, but what about monitors and other electronic devices? I'm really scared of using something that contains water on a monitor! Are you really sure?



You are scared about water and not about chemicals?
I clean MAC screens (and they are very difficult to clean and sensitive) only with water and soft fibre cloth and had 0 issues. Water is about only 1 liquid which they say can be used.

96%+ spirit is not very effective on viruses. Google it.

[ChaosKing]

This reminds me of this https://www.techspot.com/news/76940-pc-hardware-enthusiast-der8auer-uses-dishwasher-clean-components.html

[Asmodian]

This reminds me of this https://www.techspot.com/news/76940-pc-hardware-enthusiast-der8auer-uses-dishwasher-clean-components.html

I remember that. Excellent post (the video was great too (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVuI-Fn27-U))! That did help me worry less about random spills and leaks. :D

It is important to remove the heat sinks and other things that trap water and then have it dry thoroughly afterwards. Aluminium heat sinks are especially dangerous due to galvanic corrosion happening pretty fast.

It is also important to mention this is all with the power off, a battery powered phone is not quite the same thing.

[Motenai Yoda]

It also has a high surface tension so it generally doesn't go through thin cracks as easily as most liquids.
well we use a mix of basically ~75% ethanol, 0.2% glyoxal, water to disinfect electronic devices, I believed glyoxal was to make it sticky on surfaces, and reduce it's evaporation (especially as it has to be nebulized), but this can be a good reason too.

[FranceBB]

Disk (eg DVD/CD) cleaner is I think usually Isopropyl alcohol (~ 99.0%),
also think used to use same for Floppy drive head cleaner.


Oh, ok, I see, that's what I thought.


Surgical Spriit (from Boots the chemist I think),
Active Ingredient: methyl salicylate 0.5% v/v.
Also contains: industrial methylated spirt 95% v/v, diethyl phthalate and virgin castor oil.

I was not too enthused by the presence of castor oil but have never found any probs due to it.

For any electronics type cleaning suggest 99.0+ % alcohol of any variety or white meths.


Got it. Fun fact, when I went to Boots in UK they gave me a card, however they misspelled my surname and instead of "Frank Bucciantini" I ended up with a card saying "Bulliantini"... From that moment, I began to actually spell my name all the time... xD



Water is not harmful for electronics. Ions dissolved in water shorting things or water sitting in place long enough to cause corrosion is dangerous but if you are wiping down a screen, either a TV or phone, a cloth damp with pure water is the safest option. Distilled water is non-conductive and the optical coatings are never soluble in water. It also has a high surface tension so it generally doesn't go through thin cracks as easily as most liquids.

You can fill up a DIMM slot with distilled water, or soak down a GPU with the system on, and as long as you don't leave it there long enough to corrode it is fine (don't decide to deal with it in the morning). I have tested this, unintentionally, multiple times. ;)

Right! I didn't realize that you meant distilled water, in that case, yes, absolutely. I remember videos from guys many years ago overclocking computers and using oil to submerge their components and keep them cool, but essentially the same could be done with distilled water since it doesn't conduce electricity, so yeah. Many years ago I wanted to do it myself but after hearing how much maintenance oil-cooled PC required and how the distilled water ones were prone to become conductive after some time due to impurities getting in the water, I desisted from doing it.

You are scared about water and not about chemicals?
I clean MAC screens (and they are very difficult to clean and sensitive) only with water and soft fibre cloth and had 0 issues. Water is about only 1 liquid which they say can be used

Well in this case I might try to clean my monitor with distilled water and see what happens.



So, in a nutshell, what I've got from this whole topic:

- Isopropyl Alcohol 99% for electronics only
- Ethyl Alcohol 70% for hands, surfaces and other things
- Distilled water using a cloth for monitors only


Thank you, everybody! :)
Stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

[foxyshadis]

Really? Why is that? I mean, it's not like "the more the merrier", but I think that 70% alcohol must have something else with it as it's diluted and the worse thing I can think of for electronics is water... Are you sure that those products are diluted with some other things that are not harmful for electronics?

Water keeps the alcohol from evaporating too quickly to do its dirty work. Approximately 70% is the best balance between "oops, the booze disappeared too quick to kill/clean anything" and "whelp, that just got it wet and spread it around". It ionically bonds so well with alcohols that the water ions will evaporate before the alcohol. 90%+ is for when you want it to evaporate as quickly as possible.

[Boulder]

If you are using 95% spirits to mix with water and create a 70% solution, don't attempt to use it right away. The bonds in the 95% solution are very strong and water simply doesn't mix with the alcohol but just forms mostly separate layers. You need to stir/shake the solution every now and then (introducing kinetic energy to accelerate the reaction) and give it some time. Don't put it in the fridge as the reaction will again slow down.

In the uni, I had a professor whose first lesson was this one :D If I remember correctly, he said that it could take up to two weeks to mix the ingredients completely unless extra energy is introduced. I'd say that the next day is enough in this case.

[Asmodian]

In the uni, I had a professor whose first lesson was this one :D If I remember correctly, he said that it could take up to two weeks to mix the ingredients completely unless extra energy is introduced. I'd say that the next day is enough in this case.

I do a lot of mixing of alcohol and water as part of my job and mixing them is much faster than that. Getting it to take two weeks would require mixing by pure diffusion but in a real vial or beaker it is really hard, basically impossible, to keep mixing limited to pure diffusion.

That bonds explanation isn't quite right.. or at least seems weird to me. Water and alcohol are miscible in each other so I am not sure I would characterize the issue as time to react. There are no chemical reactions going on, just hydrogen bonds constantly breaking and forming in both liquids and between them as they mix. It is more a matter of physical mixing than a chemical one, though the hydrogen bonds do increase viscosity and form temporary structures which slows down mixing a lot.

They do take longer to mix well than one might expect, a quick shake isn't enough but after 10-15 minutes of shaking they will be very well mixed. I suppose after a quick shake and then resting it might require a full day to be well mixed but in a uni setting I would expect 10 minutes on a stir plate or similar to be fine. Unless you are doing something extra sensitive to tiny changes in very local concentration, but that isn't the case for sterilization, or anything I do.

Mixing alcohol and water is weird but when making a 70% mixture to spray down a surface for sterilization you just need to shake it for a few minutes. That is way longer than the natural 10 seconds people will do if you don't press the issue though, so I can see how you got taught it takes a long time. ;)

Sorry, I am a chemist IRL. :o

[Boulder]

Thanks for the scientific explanation :) I used to study some chemistry but I was always more into actual laboratory work than the science behind things.

If I remember correctly, and this was quite many years ago, as an example he gave a situation where people ran out of booze and mixed 95% alcohol and juices to create some more punch for a party. As a result, the liquids were not properly mixed when people started drinking it as it's hard to give it a good shake so I can understand the dramatic "two weeks" quip.