Get to Know The Various Uses of Isopropanol

-- End Ad Box --->preserving biological specimens as it is cheaper as
Commonly known as isopropyl alcohol or rubbingcompared to pure ethanol and it is a comparatively
alcohol, isopropanol or propan-2-ol is a colorless,non-toxic alterative to formaldehyde and other
flammable chemical product with a strong odor. Sincesynthetic preservatives. The products can further be
it is relatively nontoxic and dries or evaporatesused as a water-drying aid for treating otitis externa
quickly, it is widely used as a solvent and as awhich is more commonly known as swimmer’s
cleaning agent.ear.
A solvent is a substance; generally a liquid that actsHowever, as much as this chemical compound is
as a dissolving agent or that is capable of dissolvinguseful in a lot of things, some safety precautions
another substance.must be observed when storing and using it. One of
To be more specific, it is usually used for cleaning:the things that should be taken into consideration is
1. electronic devices such as contact pins, magneticthat it is highly flammable. Hence, it should be kept
tape and disk heads, just like those in audio andaway from heat and open flame. When it is mixed
video tape recorders and floppy disk drives, thewith air or other oxidizers, it can explode through
lenses of lasers in optical disc drive.deflagration. On the other hand, it should be used in
2. LCD and glass monitor screenswell-ventilated areas. It should be stored in a cool,
3. white boards and other unwanted ink relateddry, and well-ventilated place and the areas where it
marks .is stored and used should be “No Smoking”
It is also used for removing stains from most fabrics,areas.
wood, and cotton as well as smudges, dirt, andFor safety purposes, use protective gloves while
fingerprints from mobile phones. The residual glueusing it as ingestion, inhalation, or absorption of the
from sticky labels can also be removed by usingproduct may cause poisoning. Also, like many other
isopropyl alcohol. Another important role of theorganic solvents, its long term application to the skin
chemical product is that it can remove brake fluidmay lead to defatting. Moreover, overexposure to
traces from hydraulic disk brake systems. This way,the solvent can cause irritation to the eyes and
the brake fluid does not contaminate the brake padsthroat and it may produce central nervous system
that can result in poor braking. Moreover, music shopsdepression. Swallowing small amounts of the chemical
use it to make their second-hand or worn recordsis not likely to cause injury. However, when
look new.swallowed in larger amounts, it may cause serious
As mentioned, isopropanol is widely used as ainjury and even death.
solvent. Specifically, it is used in solvent for:Another thing to remember about the use of this
1. topically applied preparations such as cosmetickind of alcohol is that its container may be hazardous
products, including hair tonics, perfumes, skin lotions,when empty as the container may retain product
hair dye rinses, permanents wave lotions, skinresidues (such as vapors and liquid). Thus, it is
cleaners, deodorants, nail polishes, and shampoosstrongly advised to follow all warnings and
2. medical and veterinary products such asprecautions listed for the product. You see, as much
antiseptics, foot fungicides, first aid and medical vaporas the product is helpful for us in many different
sprays, skin soother, veterinary pink eye, dehorningways, we are responsible for using it. It should be
sprays, and house and garden insecticidesused in such a way that nobody gets harmed.
The use of propan-2-ol is also advantageous in