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Synthetic ethyl alcohol is a product of processing gas or oil raw materials. It is produced by chemical synthesis for use in a variety of industries, except for food. It is forbidden to produce vodka from oil, but sometimes it ends up in stores as a fake.
History of synthetic ethanol production
The Russian chemist Alexander Butlerov became the discoverer of artificial alcohol. The scientist studied ethylene gas, which is released during the decomposition of petroleum products during their heating. He mixed it with different elements and analyzed the results. Having obtained ethylsulfuric acid during the experiment, the chemist added water to it and isolated the first synthetic alcohol.
Butlerov described in detail the results of the study, but at the end of the 1950th century, the discovery was not given serious importance. For a long time, for the needs of industry, alcohol was produced in the traditional way from raw materials with a high content of starch: rye, wheat, potatoes. Butlerov’s works were remembered only in the XNUMXs, when the technology of gas extraction during oil heating was finally debugged.
A decade later, several factories for the production of synthetic alcohol were already operating in Russia. The product was needed not only in the medical and paint and varnish industries, its main consumers were plants for the production of plastics and artificial rubber.
With the addition of synthetic ethanol produce:
- perfumery;
- fuel additives;
- smokeless powder;
- antifreeze liquids;
- medicines.
Attempts to use such ethanol in the food industry ended in failure. Petroleum vodka, obtained experimentally in the 1960s, had a strong smell of gasoline, and then research by scientists proved the danger of the product to health. Alcohol from synthetic alcohol is produced clandestinely, and most of the counterfeit strong drinks come to Russia from Kazakhstan.
Kazakh vodka from oil
A few years ago, Siberian alcohol producers faced a sharp drop in sales. In Bashkiria and the Orenburg region in 2014, the consumption of vodka and cognac was halved, and companies suffered losses in the millions. This fact was connected with counterfeit alcohol pouring into the regions from the territory of Kazakhstan. The bootleggers’ products were not subject to excise taxes, so they sold vodka at half its normal price in stores.
The situation forced Rosalkogolregulirovaniye to begin mass checks of products presented in retail chains of large cities in Siberia and the Urals. The results were disappointing – in Orenburg, out of fifteen types of vodka, only five met the established quality requirements. The chemical analysis of the samples showed that oil was used for the manufacture of strong drinks, and the alleged source of raw materials was established from the chromatogram – the deposits of Azerbaijan.
A similar situation has developed in Kazakhstan itself. Inspections in 2019 showed that 40% of alcohol in the country is counterfeit. The raw material for the underground production of vodka is alcohol, which Azerbaijani enterprises produce from ethylene in large quantities and sell to any interested organization.
Kazakh vodka enters Russia through practically transparent borders. Unscrupulous merchants buy large quantities of alcohol from clandestine factories, load it onto trucks and send it to the country with false documents. Often, declarations indicate goods that are far from the real thing – toilet paper or household chemicals. The customs officers do not have the opportunity to check every densely loaded van, and the contraband safely disperses to the alcohol warehouses, and from there to the shops.
What is dangerous vodka from oil
The chemical formula of food and synthetic alcohol is the same. However, alcohol from petroleum products, according to specifications, may contain toxic acetaldehyde, ketones, diethyl ether, acids, and even dissolved polymers. Distilleries produce products with varying degrees of purification, and after thorough filtration, high-grade synthetic alcohol tastes and smells no different from those made from food raw materials.
It is almost impossible to recognize vodka from oil without a thorough chemical analysis. At the same time, its toxicity is at least 1,2 times higher than the permissible values.
Experiments carried out in the 1960s showed that synthetic alcohol has a stronger effect on the reflexes of animals than usual and leads to their rapid death. That is why at that time it was decided not to use ethanol from petroleum products in the food industry.
Consequences of single use:
- double vision in the eyes;
- loss of consciousness and alcoholic amnesia;
- severe hangover.
If you drink the surrogate regularly, the internal organs begin to break down, the liver first of all suffers. Synthetic alcohol greatly affects the brain, so alcohol addiction is formed much faster.
Due to the high level of fakes, it can be difficult to recognize counterfeit alcohol. From a wholesale warehouse, illegal vodka can end up in any distribution network. Choose brands that the manufacturer reliably protects against falsification – with embossed signs on the bottle and a dispenser cap, which is difficult to reproduce in artisanal conditions.