Isopropyl vs Isoproponol?

[djos]

G'day all, just curious as to what folks think (not starting a religious war I hope), I've always referred to my favorite cleaning alcohol as "isopropyl alcohol" but I've noticed recently that some folks (including Dave) refer to it as "Isoproponol alcohol".

I assume we are all referring to the same stuff, just wondering what preference others have when referring to it?

[IanB]

There are different names for the same thing. The common name is "isopropyl alcohol", while a more formal chemical name is "isopropanol" (not isopropanol alcohol), and a really precise chemical name is "propan-2-ol" (but nobody calls it that in real life).

Either isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol are fine, just pick whichever one is easier for you to say.

[rob77]

Wikipedia

Isopropyl alcohol, also called isopropanol or dimethyl carbinol, is a compound with the chemical formula C?H?O or C?H?OH or CH?CHOHCH?. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor.

[djos]

There are different names for the same thing. The common name is "isopropyl alcohol", while a more formal chemical name is "isopropanol" (not isopropanol alcohol), and a really precise chemical name is "propan-2-ol" (but nobody calls it that in real life).

Either isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol are fine, just pick whichever one is easier for you to say.

Cheers, great explanation.

[stj]

engineers just call it IPA.
more importantly, make sure it's atleast 99% pure.
stuff sold for medical use is often 70% or less, the rest is distilled water.

[Macbeth]

Jesus H Christ, don't get me started on Di-hydrogen monoxide. As deadly as it is...

[Fsck]

There are different names for the same thing. The common name is "isopropyl alcohol", while a more formal chemical name is "isopropanol" (not isopropanol alcohol), and a really precise chemical name is "propan-2-ol" (but nobody calls it that in real life).

Either isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol are fine, just pick whichever one is easier for you to say.

Cheers, great explanation.

it can also be 2-propanol.

[2N3055]

Jesus H Christ, don't get me started on Di-hydrogen monoxide. As deadly as it is...

LOL... There was even a satirical web site preaching dangers of it... 

[djos]

engineers just call it IPA.
more importantly, make sure it's atleast 99% pure.
stuff sold for medical use is often 70% or less, the rest is distilled water.

Good point, IPA is what I used to call back in the 90's as a HW Tech talking to other tech's, now I refer to it as Isopropyl Alcohol when telling my mates what to use to clean up their old 80's/90's computer PCB's if they've had a battery leak.

[lwatts666]

While on a business trip to central India, we followed a tanker truck with a hand painted contents safety sign on the back. It stated that the contents on the tanker was "ISO_PAPAL_ALCOHOL".

[stj]

you clean a pcb battery leak with vinegar.

[stj]

While on a business trip to central India, we followed a tanker truck with a hand painted contents safety sign on the back. It stated that the contents on the tanker was "ISO_PAPAL_ALCOHOL".

it was blessed by god! 

[djos]

you clean a pcb battery leak with vinegar.

I've heard of people using lemon juice as well, personally I use a proper PCB cleaner that is based on IPA but has some solvents in it too.

[Fsck]

you clean a pcb battery leak with vinegar.

I've heard of people using lemon juice as well, personally I use a proper PCB cleaner that is based on IPA but has some solvents in it too.

using lemon juice just sounds really icky because I envision biological residue.
Why not just use bulk citric acid in that case? If you buy 20-50lbs at once, it's pretty cheap stuff and often used for descaling.

[stj]

any mild acid works, your destroying the alkaline with it.

[djos]

you clean a pcb battery leak with vinegar.

I've heard of people using lemon juice as well, personally I use a proper PCB cleaner that is based on IPA but has some solvents in it too.

using lemon juice just sounds really icky because I envision biological residue.
Why not just use bulk citric acid in that case? If you buy 20-50lbs at once, it's pretty cheap stuff and often used for descaling.

Yeah vinegar certainly sound preferable to me too.

[helius]

There are two main ways that chemical names are formed. The older method is called "radicofunctional" and names a radical + a functional group. Alcohol is a functional group (the -OH moiety), and isopropyl is the name of the isopropyl radical. So it is written radical + function, isopropyl alcohol.
The newer method which is recommended by chemical societies is the "substitutive" method. This method is more general and can describe many chemicals that have no precise name under the radicofunctional system. The name consists of a base molecule (usually an alkane) and then is decorated with affixes according to the positions at which H atoms are substituted by other residues. There is a long list of rules about how exactly the substitutions are recorded, but in principle it provides a single, unambiguous name for any compound.
The base molecule is propane, and it has one of its H atoms substituted by OH at the 2 position. So it is named Propan-2-ol. The rules fill an entire book, but you can get the gist of it by browsing http://www.acdlabs.com/iupac/nomenclature/

"isopropanol" is completely nonstandard and fails to follow either set of rules.

[kxenos]

The common name is "isopropyl alcohol"

Shouldn't it be Isopropylic Alcohol?

[IanB]

Shouldn't it be Isopropylic Alcohol?

No, that's not correct in English.

[SL4P]

BUT CAN YOU DRINK IT ?

[IanB]

BUT CAN YOU DRINK IT ?

You can drink anything. Should you drink it is another matter.

[djos]

BUT CAN YOU DRINK IT ?

You can however you likely won't survive the experience.

[wraper]

BUT CAN YOU DRINK IT ?

Yes you can. The question is: can you do this more than one time?

[djos]

There are two main ways that chemical names are formed. The older method is called "radicofunctional" and names a radical + a functional group. Alcohol is a functional group (the -OH moiety), and isopropyl is the name of the isopropyl radical. So it is written radical + function, isopropyl alcohol.
The newer method which is recommended by chemical societies is the "substitutive" method. This method is more general and can describe many chemicals that have no precise name under the radicofunctional system. The name consists of a base molecule (usually an alkane) and then is decorated with affixes according to the positions at which H atoms are substituted by other residues. There is a long list of rules about how exactly the substitutions are recorded, but in principle it provides a single, unambiguous name for any compound.
The base molecule is propane, and it has one of its H atoms substituted by OH at the 2 position. So it is named Propan-2-ol. The rules fill an entire book, but you can get the gist of it by browsing http://www.acdlabs.com/iupac/nomenclature/

"isopropanol" is completely nonstandard and fails to follow either set of rules.

Nice one, now some brave soul just needs to tell Dave to say isopropyl properly in future videos!

[imidis]

Hmm, I don't believe I would dare try. I generally go with Isopropyl.