Chemistry for the day: Gasoline as disinfectants

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4 years ago

This is really my response to a current local issue where someone thought it was a good idea to use gasoline as disinfectants and even claim that the small remark was not a joke recently. It's also a reason why some of my relatives actually used gasoline to disinfect their stuff. it bothers me to no end. Being sprayed with diluted bleach is fine somehow (as much as it's also not a good idea because the chlorine in it really might actually destroy your cells) but then being sprayed with diluted gasoline is really something I never want to experience in my life.

So of course it goes without saying that yes, given the chemical composition of gasoline, it can be used as a disinfectant,sure they even promote the use of this in provinces but that doesn't mean that it's safe to use. As much as it can kill the virus, bacteria or microbe that infect your skin, it can also kill your cells too

As outdated as the source of this is, I've highlighted the ones that the human body can't tolerate. amines are basically nitrogen containing compounds, they make up your proteins but exposure to that much protein will eventually cause your cells to either deform or die. toluene is mostly used in pain thinners and that can act as a carcinogen (cancer causing agent) or as something that can make you infertile, same with benzene (although this is actually used as a strong disinfectant).

Aside from those compounds, gasoline contains around 500 organic compounds but its main component being octane, heptane, butane and propane. If you look back at the image, it also says that it contains alcohols like isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (these 2 are what's used in the rubbing alcohol). methanol, t-butyl alcohol and other long chain alcohols, yes it does but it still doesn't make it safe because of the 500 other compounds in there that can really damage your cells. and just because they're alcohol doesn't mean the body can tolerate its usage and toxicity. thus the reason why only ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol are the only ones sold in the market

Ethyl alcohol/ethanol or sometimes food alcohol, was originally the kind of rubbing alcohol being sold before. and although ethanol is called the food alcohol, the one used in rubbing alcohol solutions are denatured, so they are the kind of ethanol you can't consume anymore. However, because of the existence of alcoholism and the fact that alcoholics under rehabilitation eventually began consuming this alcohol due to withdrawal symptoms, leading to ethanol poisoning. Isopropyl alcohol usage was increased because of that, mostly in hospitals at first. aside from the humorous reason for promoting isopropyl alcohol, it is actually a way better disinfectant than ethyl alcohol, given the difference in the molecular structure

And the fact that i's more acidic than ethanol, which also contributes to how it helps kill germs

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4 years ago

Comments

It looks to me that you love hyrdocarbons 😂 and want to use them in everything 😜✌️

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4 years ago

It's not me but the higher up :< i refuse to get sprayed by gasoline, mygahd

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4 years ago

Hahaha. Imagine using gasoline as a hand sanitizer specially in the current situation 😂

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4 years ago

Please don't;-; i don't want to be infertile plus i hate that disgusting icky feeling

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4 years ago

Hahaha. I also hate that icky feeling. Luckily we have nice smelling alcohol based sanitizers 😉

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4 years ago

We also do but in the case alcohol supplies run out

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4 years ago

True. Hopefully soon the pandemic will go down so the demand of these will go down with it

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4 years ago

Nah, with months of usin alcohol, i think the demand will never go down. It will remain constant though, until a new pandemic comes along

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4 years ago

True. People will become more cautious and will keep using it because of the awareness they have now

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4 years ago

That and it's already been over 100 days. It takes 100 days to get used to a habit and develop it into mucle memory

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4 years ago

Oh really. I didn’t know that. That is a cool fact. So if I do anything constantly for 100 days it will become my habit?

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4 years ago

Yeah but that just the starting point. New habits are easier to get rid of than old ones

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4 years ago

Nice. Every time I speak to you I get to learn something news and that is why I always comment on your articles ✌️

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4 years ago

Aww i though you just liked teasing me. Well at least you get something else out of teasing me

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4 years ago

No I am serious. Your articles are usually very informative and debatable to get more information

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4 years ago

I'm not sure about the debatable part but i usually just answer if it's within the scope of what i know?

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4 years ago

True and most of the time I agree. By debating I mean it raises more questions in my small mind 😂

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4 years ago

Heyy don't call your mind small! That's bad :<

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4 years ago

I was being modest 😉. I should have said a less scientific mind that yours.

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4 years ago

Still no, don't degrade your mind

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4 years ago

Nice.. It was very helpfu...
Keep it you dear..😇😇

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4 years ago

Yes so please don't ever use gasoline to disinfect yourself

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4 years ago

Nice article. ♥

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4 years ago

Thank you

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4 years ago

Welcome. 😊

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4 years ago

I hope the one who told the public to disinfect gasoline can read this, i pray your relatives will stop using it. It's informative and easy to grasp even if a reader don't have a background with chemistry of alcohols🤓

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4 years ago

I hope. Made my relatives read that paper too. It irritated me to no end that their disinfectant spray smells like gasoline

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4 years ago

I can't believe that they actually used it

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4 years ago

Well they're loyal to the man. They still defend him, after all but i facepalm so hard at them

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4 years ago

Hayyy nakuu nakakastress namn🤦🏻 support kung support pero dapat di naman ganyan kasunod sunuran

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4 years ago

They liked him from the start but i don't even want to ask why they do this. Basta ayoko magamitan ng gasoline pangdisinfect. Gross

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4 years ago

Gross indeed😅

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4 years ago

And might kill me or make me infertile ;-;

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4 years ago

Aackkk that's horrible😳

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4 years ago

Yeahhh. So don't inhale gasoline smell too much

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4 years ago

Noted nee-chan☺

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4 years ago