Distillation Danger - Periodic Table of Videos

In the wake of a tragic explosion in Boston, Lincolnshire, we discuss some of the dangers involved with distilling alcohol. We must stress we do not know the circumstances of this specific incident. However all the media coverage makes it seem an appropriate time to briefly discuss some of the issues involved.
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[@810nclvv4732]

Once again I am struck by the depth of knowledge and feeling the prof conveys as he talks about chemistry and humanity.

[@TheRostbart]

Don't drink and destillate, eh?

[@jeebersjumpincryst]

wow... masterful diplomacy and sensitivity Professor Poliakov.

[@WhiteTiger333]

Interesting video, as always! Reminds me of when I worked with extruded rubber. We had to be so careful around the toluene at the production level. And, yes, we had an explosion once, which was contained, partly due to an alert employee, in the explosion-proof room. Felt like an earthquake in the lab and made a very impressive hole in the floor and the roof of the containment room.

[@GeFlixes]

Ethanol flames are amazing. We destilled alcohol at school and tried if the destilled alcohol would burn (that would indicate a high purity of that distillat), but I seemed like nothing happend. I wanted to put the watch glass with the liquid in it away, but the glass was hot. There was no visible flame, just wavering hot air above the glass, because the ethanol burned with no residiues. It was quite fascinating.

[@hawkeye0248]

Two classical mistakes when doing a distillation: 1. No boiling stones or inactive boiling stones in the distillation flask. Mixture overheats and then suddenly starts to boil explosively shooting out the themometer at the top, fill the room with vapour and the vapour somewhere finds an ignition source - often the heating mantle. 2. People do not inspect the distillation flask for hairline cracks, which may develop during a distillation and start leaking some of the contents inside - boom!

[@MikeCunninghamissexy]

Professor : although you are half a world away , I look forward to and hang on your every word , if I were to ever want to further my education , I could only hope I had a teacher with your attributes , your an awesome man and I love listening to you speak. I always look forward to your next topic of discussion , had my American teachers had enthusiasm like yours I would have been far more educated than I am today....Thank you for all you do , my deepest sympathies for those who were injured .

[@EdwinHenryBlachford]

a failure[explosion] in a still would signal massive incompetence in the design. it should be remembered that all stills were originally simply air cooled. And yes I know the % yield was lower then, but the vapour still held alcohol. I would guess the Boston explosion was a result of a lack of proper pressure relief on a pressure vessel. this is a common cause of explosion in domestic water heaters and is massively powerful since pressure builds until the yield point of the vessel is reached, then yield is rapid by virtue of the materials of construction. this also impels metal shrapnel

[@High_Priest_Jonko]

How could you be unaware that your distillation unit isn't condensing the vapor properly, and unaware for long enough to allow the room to fill up to a dangerous amount? Did they just set up the distillation unit and start the reaction then go into the next room to have lunch, or something?

[@Nikolaii2571]

I think that the professor is a dude who makes chemistry a fun subject to learn.

[@BaberJacks]

specialist meaning Ukrainian or Russian

[@Firesoar13]

You should do a video about the different kinds of alcohols and the dangers of ingesting the wrong forms. Bootleg stills often don't separate out the different kinds and (especially during the US prohibition when moonshiners were making stills out of anything they could find) can cause serious harm to the consumer of these spirits.

[@ImMADasAMeatAxe]

every hydrocarbon distillation system should have a water valve at the end of the system to stop spark or flames entering the system

[@somegeezer]

The "in" within "inflammable" is a much older prefix, meaning "in", rather than the "in" prefix we often use today to mean "not". As the prof is fairly old, it makes sense that he uses the now confusing inflammable, over flammable. But both words still mean the object can be ignited easily.

[@freelancechemist]

Prof. Poliakoff, We love you.

[@WowUrFcknHxC]

He said "Boston, a small town..." Those are not words Americans are accustomed to.

[@BuickDoc]

Explosions such as this are fairly common in the US. Usually the people involved are making 'crack' cocaine or methamphetamine, both processes requiring extraction with ether or hydrocarbon solvents, which can explode under proper conditions. We rarely see injuries making alcohol, since that is usually done in the woods with good ventilation. I have personally seen 5 people badly burned in the former circumstance.

[@Bryan6446]

I was so scared when I saw this on the news and on your channel because I had just finished my first batch of home brewed spirits!

[@pmarceau]

The Boston, Lincolnshire mentioned in the video is in England.

[@kuni45]

Amateur Brewing and distillation is NOT as dangerous as you say. I've worked with my dad distilling homemade moonshine for 5 years now and he's been at it even longer. As long as you're using a proper still in a well ventilated area AWAY FROM ANY HEAT SOURCE OR OPEN FLAME you're more likely to get blown up driving your kids to soccer practice.

[@b77007]

petroleum refineries are basically complex distilleries and even they (professionals) have failures and explode from time to time

[@NotJames1]

I like how the screensaver goes across both screens

[@DevilMaster]

@lexichronicle2 He wrote "a VENT fan". Not one that recirculates air inside a room, but one that blows air OUT of a room.

[@WarMasterX6]

So many things can be dangerous that people see as no big deal such as storing grain or sawdust. Lots of flammable things out there.

[@quaxk]

I assure you professor, ethanol vapor has a very strong smell, and even the best reflux still carry some of the other alcohols from the brew which tend to smell like nail polish, not that I would know anything about this, but a big vapor leak like you describe would stink up the place quickly, beside, only idiots would distill in a non ventilated area, and a failing condenser would cause the reflux temperature to rise and stop the flow, two things a distiller has to monitor constantly

[@FrancisCWolfe]

Amateur distilling is a legal hobby in New Zealand. I've never heard of anyone blowing himself up doing it. I think we should wait for the official reports on what happened in Boston.

[@gh0stmast3r]

so the biggest danger for distillation isn't just the act of doing it without a proper license, but is in fact doing it inside a room where the vapors can build up for an explosion and not outside where it can move away...

[@47f0]

@eggroll9000 - as it turns out, water is contributory to the oxidation of some of our fundamental building materials. When your bridge fails due to rust, it's probably dangerous. But, perhaps, having been through three hurricanes I have an exaggerated respect for water.

[@draoi99]

In Ireland, the poteen makers always distilled their mountain dew outdoors. I guess they might have had a few explosions until they learned to do that.

[@Stormrunner0002]

Good reminders professor. I enjoy a good batch of homemade rum myself once in a will, and I do know that the more you do something like that the more we let the safety standards go. We become overconfident in our abilities. Then an old girl friend phones and forget to shut the pot still off. BOOM.

[@Bobajobimus]

Wise words professor.

[@reconciliation86]

regardless - irregardless is another nice example :)

[@cpovey1]

I agree with you 100%. One of the worst words in the English language. English is a hard enough language as it is, but the stupidity of flammable and inflammable meaning EXACTLY the same thing is beyond belief.

[@TheAllSeeingToe]

@zythepsarian Its because the first few batches have a dangerously high methanol content, which is extremely poisonous and can cause blindness if you drink enough of it, hence the term ''blind drunk''

[@benner2000]

He says Boston to the East of Nottingham. So, if you look in the description it tells you he is talking about Boston, Lincolnshire, not Boston, Massachusetts.

[@HaileISela]

I think the results of these "nice drinks" are amongst the worst things we do to ourselves. alcohol is the most dangerous and awful drug used in our societies. it's a shame we keep ignoring that so effectively.

[@pamukovich]

@quaxk he mentioned that you probably can't smell the vapor because of other smells in the room, if you're already making alcohol maybe the smell will already be there during the process, i don't know because i've never been at a distillery but it would make sense

[@BuickDoc]

@BuickDoc As a child, however, I did witness a neighbor's chicken house explode from an illegal still. There were no injuries.

[@top2percent]

Excellent video, as always.

[@garryentropy]

not only dangerous through explosions, blindness or death if its not done right.

[@maekern]

I love nearly every video from every series you do... but you should be aware that your videos are REALY quiet compared to other KZbin videos. For example, this video is very hard to hear on an iPad with KZbin volume and system volume turned up to maximum. It might be good to raise the volume a bit in future videos.

[@coolliger]

Very informative video

[@painxtreme]

@chocomalk we need to have a spectrum of professions in Congress. Is having a Scientist in govt worse than Attorneys, Businessmen and Bankers? That's what you got now. How about some Engineers, Plumbers, Teachers,Truck Drivers, Software Guys, and a few Economists for Pete's sake? How about we have people who actually know what they are talking about when they make decisions that can be HUGE in our lives. Yes people's experience is huge in leadership, wanna be led into battle by a Ballet Dancer?

[@muzzlevelocity2012]

Very well explained, thank you for this information!

[@werothegreat]

I love how Boston is a small town in the UK.

[@cpovey1]

Hate to disagree, but my dictionary says that flammable has been used since the early 19th century. I doubt that there were a lot of safety organizations 200 years ago.

[@painxtreme]

@painxtreme of course it's nothing Ive spent much time thinking about, until seeing the video.

[@SapphireSiren]

Now I'm wondering about the meth labs that explode. Is this due to essentially the same reasons, that the equipment is usually hot and not working properly, thereby causing an explosion from fumes in the air?

[@oBCHANo]

Short awnser : Alcohol is flamable, the fumes from it can explode, it's dangerous. Although, I have no idea how anyone wouldn't know that.

[@vlasktom]

It really depends on the context. If I say "insane", I mean not sane. If I say "ingenious", I mean very genius. I work at power plants, I see lots of danger signs. I work around materials and gasses that can very easily kill you. The Liquid Oxygen, Natural Gas, and Propane tanks are all marked "Flammable." The Syngas, Liquid Hydrogen, and Hydrogen Sulfide lines are all marked "Inflammable"

[@mynameismatt2010]

Actually it was just a mistake. he said earlier in the video that the liquid was inflammable, meaning that it doesn't burn, and when he was talking about the vapor he mistakenly used the prefix again.

[@rageagainstthebath]

@zythepsarian Probably because methanol, the poisonous kind of alcohol, evaporates quicker than ethanol. That's why it comes in the first batches, and there is almost none in the following bottles. This danger could have been discussed as well, by the way.

[@punishedexistence]

@quaxk Yeah, I know the characteristic smell of ethyl acetate...I usually buy by alcohol when I so desire it. I did countless distillations in lab class and certainly, you want to make sure your condenser and receiving vial are kept very cold. The Prof is a man that sound be elected as world president. He goes beyond mere countries as a man who knows his stuff and as a genuine person. To be able to shake his hand would not be just a pleasure but an honor. All hail Professor Poliakoff!!

[@mycamguy]

"Inflammable means flammable?!" -Dr.Nick

[@Smallie07]

we did distillation and fractional distillation last year in school! its quite fun.

[@deelean]

In the UK it is perfectly legal to produce up to 2500 Liters per year for use as "bio-fuel"

[@rickysmyth]

The explanation was on myth busters

[@quaxk]

oh, another thing, I have yet to read about an explosive accident involving ethanol distillation, the only ones reported are incendiary, you just can't fill a room, there's just not enough ethanol in a batch, and the outflow is insufficient for a normal, porous construction, it just ain't going to happen, ever

[@FurkanKhan100]

@Gmc42082 nop because in liquid form, it doesnt have a lot of oxygen around it, so it cant burn fast enough. while in vapou form, it has alot of O2.

[@Vladimerge]

thumbs up if you saw the EPIC monitors in the back

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

@PBDPBD "Inflammable means flammable? What a country!" --- Dr. Nick Riviera on the Simpsons

[@monkeytail2002]

@Bryan6446 Be carefull telling people that. Distilling without a license is illegal in the U.K.

[@47f0]

Yup - we read science fiction stories about planets with exotic atmospheres and think they are dangerous - but one of the most dangerous atmospheres is one with lots of free oxygen and water. Thanks to the lowly cyanobacteria, we now live on such a planet, with the result that even something as simple as cooking flour in an aerial suspension can be explosive.

[@SykeMed]

If you brew 'moonshine'... you can only get up to 15% concentration of ethanol from natural fermentation (ie. wine) before the yeast start to die. To get to whiskey/vodka levels you must distill it down to 35-40%.

[@singlespies]

Is alcohol vapor intoxicating? Seems like it would be much faster (and more dangerous) than drinking.

[@akashashen]

Usually when I hear about illegal activities resulting in an explosion, it involves a far more interesting product than a make-your-own-wine kit as Tesco (note: I know, shining and all, but this enhances the never-doing-it concept). Coincidentally, when I hear illegal production activities just setting something on fire, it's often a far more popular and far less lethal product.

[@DevilMaster]

@PBDPBD The same with "habitable" and "inhabitable".

[@Goilste]

it's good to see some wise men sharing wisdom with us here on youtube not the usual nonsense or fail compilations or just those people trying get some money with their pathetic drivel No. This Man sure wants no money for this video. Thank you, professor :) And all the other teaching channels here on youtube like Vsauce, MinutePhysics and so on - thank you!

[@Zolbat]

to be honest, before you mentioned it, I didn't know what it was. But I looked it up, and I have to say, that this is a VERY specific and rare application of a tablet. I still don't get where you need a tablet for this, wouldn't a cheap computer or smartphone just do the trick? Also, if you don't want to drag something around, use something small, like a smartphone, and those come in quite a range of sizes too. I have yet to hear a real reason other than chic and bragging for buying one of those

[@AliciaBurrito]

I've watched these videos on my iPad before... they aren't quiet at all unless you are in a loud room so you can't hear it

[@MrSillypuddy29]

An explosion in Boston? This is news to me!

[@MrSuednym]

Distillation is so useful... And safe if done correctly, but if you don't know what your doing... Just like almost anything in chemistry, you're probably going to hurt yourself or others.

[@painxtreme]

@bamboo4tameshigiri I respect the "Shiners" a lot. You can legally brew beer, or make wine, but the Treasury guys cant have people who have honed a process through generations. Do accidents happen? Hell yes, they do in a lab too. That sounds like it gives the Shine a good flavor to the kickback. Does it give it a whiskey-ish color? Ive had actual Shine just once in northern Georgia. I dont remember the ratio, but it was only a tiny % watered, and it was like a load of hay fell on me...hoo boy!

[@cpovey1]

Glad to hear it.

[@integralmath]

@chocomalk: they're too busy making the world into something worth being lead. Besides which, they are leaders of the world; they just don't need to call a press conference and demonize someone every time they have a plan of something or another.

Everyone is an amateur in the beginning You can only get professional by doing it to get experience. Amateurs usually do two things wrong (usually due to stupidity and lack of proper basic research know-how that a good school will teach you, Thats right kids, schools is good for you!): 1. Not researching the process of how to do it right way. 2. Buying or making cheap equipment without said needed knowledge.

[@GMCLabs]

@Paxmax no,no nobody gets it, i though it sounded funny b/c the way he worded it , it would be like saying " i'm on earth,because im not on mars". the way he started the statement, i though he was going to explain why gases are more flammable than liquids, rather than just saying gases burn explosively while liquids don't. i mean i do understand the reason why, i just though he was going to explain why.

[@thewiseowl]

@FHomeBrew Use a heating mantle not a Bunsen burner. You'd be foolish to heat a flammable mixture using an open flame like that.

[@gredangeo]

INflammable? So it's not flammable? ... Oh wait it IS?! crazy logic. :)

[@nofacee94]

Apparently a woman had a barbecue in her tent and died of monoxide poisoning.

[@painxtreme]

@quaxk So, vodka, which has no smell, does indeed have an odor in production? That is something I was unaware of.

[@marcuc89]

I don't know about out in the UK, but here in the States propane is used to make moonshine. You run mass amounts of propane at full bore and it freezes the pipes then boom.

[@skudzer1985]

I know it's irrelevant but I can't help wondering; does he pick his hair out in the morning or does it just fray out like that naturally?

[@Anonymous5125]

@chocomalk People like the professor are smart enough to not go into politics.

[@awent0428]

Me, too! I took advice from a real chemist, my aunt!

[@Zolbat]

no I have to counter that argument, the computer is a very important device, and the internet is probably - no - definitely the most important invention ever made

[@PatGunn]

@bamboo4tameshigiri In my family tree, there was at least one instance of people brewing cider or wine (before prohibition) and blowing up their house. As far as I can tell, this was not a particularly rare thing. Likewise, I have friends whose families homebrew alcohol in Russia, some of whom have had serious health problems relating to that homebrew. I am not a fan of prohibition of alcohol. That said, these instances had nothing to do with American prohibition.

[@painxtreme]

Respond to this video...Not really what I meant, but that'sa ok. People that evaluate Vodkas are like the folks that "chew" wine as they taste it . I do wine rituals if it's an exceptional vintage...But for the young guys, if you are at a posh Restaurant, have the Sommelier taste the wine first. Not only will the Sommelier be impressed you knew to do that, it has a mulitplier effect on impressing your date. My only real point was hardly anyone could detect the odor of an elite Vodka.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

Amazing how often a good fume hood and 78% nitrogen atmosphere will save your ass. You can do a lot of things with a lot of volatiles but the environment must be very carefully controlled. EYEBROWS DO NOT GROW BACK QUICKLY. You walk around looking surprised all the time.

[@lisapratt1]

thanks again for the great video.

[@Oakley2256]

thisislincolnshire article May 2012 points towards a lit cigarette triggered the blast

[@monkeytail2002]

@Bryan6446 Fair enough then :D I didn't realise it had made the news outside of the U.K.

[@JJ4eva2]

@ajuk1 Inflammable and flammable both mean the same thing :). One of the stranger things in the world! (Though I think Inflammable might mean 'more' flammable than the other!)

[@oBCHANo]

People really asked why distillation is dangerous? Really? People really can't think for themself can they....

[@233kosta]

See until I watched this, I was fully in favour of getting together with a few mates and distilling our own rakia _somewhere_, but now it seems we'll have to find some place better than their kitchen... then again we could just scale down the operation to a few litres at a time, and not the whole 100l flagon. Guess it'll take longer than anticipated :/

[@painxtreme]

@BacklTrack The purest, highest quality Wodka is supposed to have no odor, or impurities, but impurities are the distinction between elite Vødkas, being a nuance, hard to differentiate to all but professional tasters in many cases. I had a bandmate, (RIP 2004) that swore by the perfection of Ketel One, which, though Premium, isn't an Elite, as served in Ice Bars in Russia and Scandinavia. Does it has a smell? Kinda, cuz impurities are never 100% gone. Detectable by human Olafactory? Mostly not.

[@Saitothesushi]

Boston is in UK not the American city.

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

One of our local (legal) vodka distilleries exploded a year or two ago, from a welder working in the stillhouse. And there's hardly a distillery in Scotland that hasn't had a disatrous explosion or warehouse fire in its history... (By the way, the professor mentions vodka and brandy. I can understand, giving his location, why he might not mention tequila, but you know there is a bit of whisk(e)y made in the U.K. Just sayin'....)

[@njloetz]

legalize it!

[@MrDirtJumps]

I was going for the 'water boy' theme...but I guess most people have forgotten that joke now....I was hoping someone would :/ however its pretty much the same difference....