Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: charlie8484 on May 07, 2021, 09:26:33 AM
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Hi All
I make scented candles as a hobby. I've used a particular aftershave I like in a new batch. Candles smell great, however they all have strange pitted surfaces. I'm 90% sure this is because aftershave contains solvents (typically isopropanol or ethyl alcohol) to help kill bacteria after shaving and these solvents escape while candle is curing leaving the surface pitted.
Does anyone have any ideas how I might distill off the solvents from the aftershave leaving just the scent (which I can then use for the candles)?
Slightly embarrassed to ask as I do have a chemistry degree but it was 15 years ago now and the knowledge has gone! My 22 year-old self would have solved this in a second I'm sure...
Any suggestions gratefully acknowledged. Happy to spend a bit to buy distillation apparatus (or whatever would work).
Thanks
Charlie
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Leave it out in the open long enough and the solvents should evaporate by themselves. Gentle heating might accelerate matters (I suggest using a water bath for safety reasons).
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Note: the idea behind the aftershave (or any perfume) is that it contains compounds that are volatile, otherwise you won't be able to smell them. Volatile means low bp, so they are quite likely to both distill out together with the solvent, or dry out together with the solvent.
Separating them can be actually quite tough.
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Note: the idea behind the aftershave (or any perfume) is that it contains compounds that are volatile, otherwise you won't be able to smell them. Volatile means low bp, so they are quite likely to both distill out together with the solvent, or dry out together with the solvent.
Separating them can be actually quite tough.
Hmm. Noted. Might some form of fractional distillation work?