Dry alcohol - the history of appearance and application

Dry alcohol is a solid, smoke-free fuel, which has nothing to do with alcohols. This substance is produced most often in the form of large tablets, the burning time of one tablet is approximately 12-15 minutes. Dry alcohol consists of two components: hexamethylenetetramine (it is also called urotropin) and a small amount of paraffin. This type of fuel appeared thanks to the efforts of Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov, a great Russian chemist who not only synthesized a number of organic compounds, but also created a theory of the structure of various chemical substances. It was this scientist who in 1859 received a new substance by reacting formaldehyde with an aqueous solution of ammonia, which was later called urotropine.

An interesting fact is that in Russia, urotropine was actively used in the food industry until June 1, 2010: it was used as a preservative for caviar and fish, and was registered as substance E239. Later, this preservative was recognized as dangerous to health, because urotropine, when interacting with acids, is converted to formaldehyde, which provokes the appearance and growth of cancerous tumors, that is, in fact, is a carcinogen. Therefore, at present, urotropine is used mainly for the production of such useful products as dry fuel.

Despite the fact that people in our time are surrounded by all the benefits of civilization, this fuel has found many uses. Dry alcohol is used to prepare and reheat food in field conditions, which is especially important for a place where natural fuel can not be found (mountains, stony land, steppes, etc.). This fuel is still completed with individual rations of soldiers in virtually all armies of the world. To kindle fires in wet weather, you can also use dry alcohol. The price of this fuel (which is especially pleasant) is low, the packing of tablets can be purchased for 25 rubles. This is a very good option, since the most expensive dry fuel can cost about 150 rubles. For cooking, dry alcohol is difficult to use (it takes a long time to cook a full meal), but it will be ideal for reheating: for example, you can warm up a can of canned food or boil a cup of tea. It is best to kindle dry fuel on a special metal stand.

Advantages of this type of fuel are quite obvious: the tablets are light and compact, do not take up much space, they can be taken with you even on foot, unlike, say, gasoline or gas burners. Tablets are very simple to use, so they have a fairly wide range of applications. But dry alcohol has a number of negative qualities: the flame is very sensitive to wind, so you may need a special screen. In addition, such fuel, when wet, begins to smoke, spark and give off an unpleasant specific odor. But these shortcomings are not so significant, especially in comparison with the advantages that the use of dry fuel gives.