I just like yummy things

[CuriousGuy]

Howdy everybody,

I understand I am supposed to introduce myself.

Well, I've never distilled anything before, other than some balsam fir I tried to extract essential oil from (which didn't work... still haven't figured that one out).
I'm interested in making spirits because, well, 1) my wife would tell you I'm interested in everything (hence my screen name) and 2), well, I just like yummy things.
I figured I would start out my custom-made spirits journey by simply infusing some commercially made neutral spirits, and then I found myself in a bit of an interesting situation, which will be the subject of my first post (other than this one) and is the reason I'm registering here now, rather than doing my typical thing when starting something new, reading for weeks.

So here goes!

[MooseMan]

Welcome to the forum man.

Let's hear your story, and then you can do your typical thing, and read for weeks! Haha

Enjoy it here, it's a treasure trove.

Moose

[Rusty Ole Bucket]

Tons to read here, and the more you read the more you realize you need to read, too.

Welcome to HD!


Rusty

[CuriousGuy]

Thanks gents.

Well here goes:

I figured I would start by buying some commercially made neutral spirits and infuse them.

Then lo and behold, I open my email and see that an auction company I've bought tools from is selling off the assets of a "hemp CBD oil" company. Figuring that extracting hemp oil is probably similar to extracting essential oils, I was intrigued and browsed through the stuff, and found... several jugs of 190- and 200-proof food-grade "culinary" ethanol from a local distillery for sale!
So I bought them.

I showed up to pick them up and found out a few things:
1) The auctioneer was apparently a bit lazy and the auction lot I bought included a few things I didn't know about, including several containers of chemicals I didn't want: jugs of pure methanol (!), a container of something called acetonitrile, and several containers of something called heptane;
and
2) all the jugs of ethanol had all been opened.

Now, given the other chemicals that were apparently in use in the same facility, and given that the containers had been opened, I am worried that the wonderful ethanol I had intended to use to infuse my own spirits could be contaminated with other chemicals.

I am trying to figure out if there is a way I can get the ethanol I bought tested somewhere to make sure there is nothing in there that shouldn't be.
(I've read enough here on Home Distiller and elsewhere to know that there is no simple test I can do at home for methanol.)

So I'm hoping to learn from the folks here who have lots of experience with such things if there is any way I can confirm that the food ethanol I purchased is safe to make into spirits.

[MooseMan]

I personally would not take the risk.
Even if there is a 1% chance that one of those chemicals, or something else has been mixed into that ethanol, it's not safe and it's too risky to consume.

Don't know anything about Heptane, but acetonitrile is dangerous shit if it's heated up, it gives off cyanic gas.
They probably threw those chems in so that they didn't have to get rid of them responsibly!

[sadie33]

Hello and welcome!!

[SW_Shiner]

Welcome to the forum.
I also wouldn't trust any open chemical containers.

[quadra]

You are right to be worried.

[quadra]

Is there any mention of mass spectrometry equiptment in the sale? These are a unique set of chemicals and your former instructor that you mention in the other thread might be interested in finding them a new home... who knows.. you might get a tax receipt?.
These are chemicals that would not be out of place in a gas chromatography- mass spectrometry lab but unless you want to build some extraction equipment for cannabis distillation they are not household items. The auctioneer probably did not itemize them because there can be regulatory complications with some things, sometimes.

[CuriousGuy]

Is there any mention of mass spectrometry equiptment in the sale? These are a unique set of chemicals and your former instructor that you mention in the other thread might be interested in finding them a new home... who knows.. you might get a tax receipt?.
These are chemicals that would not be out of place in a gas chromatography- mass spectrometry lab but unless you want to build some extraction equipment for cannabis distillation they are not household items. The auctioneer probably did not itemize them because there can be regulatory complications with some things, sometimes.

It's funny you say that:
Indeed there were several liquid chromatography machines in the sale (and sold very drastically lower prices than I have since come to find out they are worth!).... no mass spectrometers, but several chromatographs.

In the last few days I've contacted a few friends with chemistry lab experience, and all have said that a gas-chromatograph mass spectrometer can provide exactly the answers I am looking for, and such a test is very quick and easy for anyone with access to the machine. My next move will be trying to locate someone with access to one who is willing to run the sample (a local university, my alma mater university, or even a commercial food testing lab).

[quadra]

Well that is too bad... Who wouldnt want a setup like that at home!?