[xeebexa]

I am really curious to know what would the result(s) of burning this liquid solution be. Here is the liquid's closest formula:

Alcohol(C2H5OH), Propylene glycol(C3H8O2), and Denatonium Sodium Benzoate (I don't know the formula).

What I know is that if we set pure C2H5OH on fire the result would be:

C2H5OH + O2  CO2 + H2O

Now what would happen if we burn the mentioned formula? Would Benzene(C6H6) be produced? Or some other toxins possibly?

I am sort of worried sick... I am shaking....  

[xeebexa]

Well, to add some extra info, I have done this (for the sake of pleasure) and after all the C2H5OH of this liquid is burnt, some colorless kind of liquid remains but I don't know what it is.

[xeebexa]

Oh, and the amount of denatonium benzoate is 10ppm.

[xeebexa]

Would someone help me please?

[Borek]

I doubt anyone will be able to help. This is a mixture, not burnt completely, there can be hundreds of compounds produced. Some of them can be dangerous, but it is all a matter of amount. If you have burned just a few milliliters you are rather on the safe side. OTOH spending whole day in smoke produced during burning is a sure way of asking for troubles.

[xeebexa]

I doubt anyone will be able to help. This is a mixture, not burnt completely, there can be hundreds of compounds produced. Some of them can be dangerous, but it is all a matter of amount. If you have burned just a few milliliters you are rather on the safe side. OTOH spending whole day in smoke produced during burning is a sure way of asking for troubles.

Thank you so much for your response. The actual burnt amount was somewhere close to maybe less than 4 milliliters. But let us imagine I had burnt around 2 liters of this liquid, what sort of dangerous compounds would you guess that might have been produced? Which one of the molecules in the liquid would be mostly responsible for the production of these dangerous compounds? Could Benzene be possibly produced in this reaction or anything as dangerous as that?

Thanky you so much.

[xeebexa]

I might live to fight another day (maybe cause I didn't burn enough of that liquid to kill myself), but man, alcohol (C2H5OH) could burn. The flame was super hot.

[billnotgatez]

For information purposes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol

@xeebexa
If you are going to tinker than do it safely
you worry us

I always thought benzene would burn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene

[xeebexa]

For information purposes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol

Already checked. About 4 hours ago. Found nothing interesting. But if you mean to know those bad boys (those chemical molecules) then those articles are gonna be handy.

@xeebexa
If you are going to tinker than do it safely
you worry us

Roger that. Didn't mean to worry anyone. Not to mention that when this thought hit me that maybe I have smelled some fumes I was scared to death, so I turned all the air conditioning systems and fans that I could find around on. It is real nice to hear some one say that. To be honest, I am getting this line "you worry us" after like 20 years. God I really need a girl friend!!!

[Arkcon]

The MSDS for any chemical lists possible combustion products.  The info is usually meant for people who have to fight a fire involving tonnes of material.  However, if you're wondering about possible trace breakdown or incomplete combustion products, you will find those possibilities in the MSDS

[Enthalpy]

What happened during combustion:

Ethanol is volatile enough to burn easily, while propylene glycol is not (its "flash point" ~120°C exceeds room temperature, see on Wiki), even with the brief flame of alcohol above it.

So ethanol has burnt, cleanly as it uses to do, and propylene glycol remains. It's colourless, transparent, viscous, by itself nontoxic.

To burn propylene glycol, you must use a wick. It's safe in the sense that I did it and survived.

Combustion has also produced minor compounds, in small amounts but very diverse, by the reaction of oxygen+ethanol+PGlycol+nitrogen, all hot at the surface. So don't swallow the remnants. Away from pets, because glycols taste sweet.

Benzene is typically not produced by a flame, and benzene took decades to be recognized as a carcinogen despite industry used it all the day in tons amount, so sniffing trace amounts for some seconds shouldn't make one anxious. Flames produce other compounds (CO, NO_x, -CN...) which can be nasty, benzene is negligible in comparison.

Burning something without a good notion of what may result is a pretty bad idea. With plastics you can heave nasty surprises, with liquids as well, and some times you don't reach fresh air on time. What if the 10ppm Denatonium had been 90% Detonium? An antipersonal mine or a hand grenade contain only 10 times your 4mL.

[xeebexa]

Very thorough answer, Enthalpy. Exactly what I needed to know. I think the world some how needs people like you.