638  Methyl  Alcohol  and  Ethyl  Alcohol    { '^Sptember^Y92'S- 
Lead  Acetate  (Sugar  of  Lead) — In  painting,  calico  printing, 
loading  white  silk  and  in  the  manufacture ^of  chrome  yellow  and 
thirty  derivatives  therefrom. 
Potassium  Acetate — In  the  manufacture  of  acetic  acid  and  of 
dehydrating  and  decomposing  agents. 
Sodium  Acetate — Same  as  in  preceding  paragraph. 
Uses  of  Wood  Alcohol: 
For  denaturing  grain  alcohol,  in  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder, 
manufacture  of  aniline  coal  tar  colors,  manufacture  of  formaldehyde, 
manufacture  of  celluloid  and  moving  picture  film,  and  as  a  solvent 
for  hydrocarbon  resins  and  gums.  Shellac  made  from  wood  alco- 
hol being  very  much  superior  to  any  other. 
So  great  has  become  the  demand  for  wood  alcohol,  and  there  has 
been  so  little  increase  in  supply,  that  prices  have  risen  in  the  last 
few  years  from  40  cents  to  50  cents  a  gallon  to  $3 . 00  to  $3 . 50  a 
gallon,  owing  to  the  grade,  and  even  at  these  prices  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  supply  the  demand. 
ETHYL  AIvCOHOL. 
Ethyl,  or  so-called  grain  alcohol,  in  which  the  drug  trade  are 
most  vitally  interested,  has  been  for  the  past  several  years,  owing 
to  high  price  of  grain,  made  practically  entirely  from  molasses. 
The  molasses  used  is  what  is  known  in  the  trade  as  black-strap 
molasses,  and  is  the  final  residue  after  all  the  sugar  has  been 
crystallized  out  of  the  concentrated  syrups  from  whatever  source 
the  sugar  may  come.  This  molasses  is  taken  to  the  distilleries  in 
tank  steamers,  or  tank  cars,  and  in  some  instances  by  pipe  lines, 
where  it  is  conveyed  by  pipes  into  big  fermenting  tubs. 
In  these  tubs  it  is  mixed  with  just  the  right  amount  of  water 
and  yeast,  cultured.  After  fermentation  has  been  allowed  to  go 
to  just  the  right  point,  which  an  expert  can  detect  by  watching 
the  action  closely,  the  mixture  is  drawn  into  a  big  still,  known  as  a 
beer  still.  Steam  is  immediately  turned  on,  and  the  alcohol  in 
crude  forms  is  distilled  over. 
This  alcohol  is  then  treated,  first  with  alkali,  giving  primary 
distillation  similar  to  that  of  wood  alcohol,  and  then  neutralized 
with  acid,  and  redistilled  in  a  column  still. 
The  first  alcohol  that  comes  over  has  some  odor,  and  is  not  over 
188  proof.  The  next  alcohol  is  the  heart  of  the  runs,  which  runs 
190  to  192  proof,  and  is  entirely  free  from  odor,  and  is  what  is  known 
