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Topic: oil from potassium carbonate?  (Read 1093 times)

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Offline Frater EIE

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oil from potassium carbonate?
« on: November 13, 2019, 01:29:09 PM »
Hi all
A while ago, I was using lab grade potassium carbonate to dry some 180 proof ethanol. I had maybe about a cup of pot carb sitting in a mason jar filled with spirit and left it sitting for a while. What was strange was that the ethanol appeared to start pulling an oil from the pot carb. The alcohol turned pale yellow. I decided to leave it a bit longer and it turned orange. After distilling off the alcohol, I discarded the oil, but I'm curious now. Anyone know what that could have been?
Thanks
Frater EIE

Offline hypervalent_iodine

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Re: oil from potassium carbonate?
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2019, 07:22:09 PM »
Are you sure it wasn't something from the mason jar?

Offline Frater EIE

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Re: oil from potassium carbonate?
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2019, 07:38:56 PM »
Hard to know for sure, as it was a while ago. But I think I remember the jar being cleaned with distilled water and then dried with a paper towel.

Offline billnotgatez

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Re: oil from potassium carbonate?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2019, 03:56:57 PM »
What was the source of your ethanol.
Was it lab grade also.

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