drying alcohol

> I am interested in drying etahnol. Would adding anhydrous magnesium

DESICCANT EFFICIENCY IN SOLVENT AND REAGENT DRYING 8. MOLECULAR-SIEVE
COLUMN DRYING OF 95-PERCENT ETHANOL - AN APPLICATION OF HYGROMETRY TO
THE ASSAY OF SOLVENT WATER-CONTENT.
BURFIELD DR, HEFTER GT, KOH DSP
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY A-CHEMICAL
TECHNOLOGY 1984, 34(4), 187-194.

BURFIELD, DR, SMITHERS, RH
DESICCANT EFFICIENCY IN SOLVENT AND REAGENT DRYING .7. ALCOHOLS
J ORG CHEM 1983, 48(14), 2420-2422.

Burfield had a series of papers on organic solvent drying. I think he used
tritiated water as a tracer. There were occasional surprises. Some "drying"
agents actually increased the amount of detectable water in some solvents
(e.g., acetone).

I don't have Perrin & Amarego handy, but I think they mention that
sodium is not suitable for drying lower (Me, Et) alcohols because the equilibrium

RO-Na + H-OH <--- -> RO-H + Na-OH

actually favors the alkoxide, not the hydroxide. Magnesium must be used
for MeOH and EtOH.

A lit search reveals yet other methods (e.g., using ketals and orthoesters).

It seems to me that the variety of replies and methods indicates that most
people use what works for them in their particular application even if it's
not the "best" method according to someone else's results.





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Sodium can be used if you also add some diethyl phthalate. This consumes
NaOH as it is produced.

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used
"drying"
equilibrium
orthoesters).
it's