Prodution of methanol "wood spirit"

The generated methanol is formed mainly from the methoxy groups of the Iignins. Besides methanol (approx. 2%), the aqueous phase contains acetic acid (approx. 6%) and acetone (approx. 0.2%). The combustible gas which emerges consists of methane, hydrogen and small amounts of methanol which has not condensed.

The experiment does not directly show that an alcohol has been formed. This fact must be worked out in a corresponding teaching talk. The general data sheet for methanol could be filled in here, but it would appear to be more sensible to do this
after dealing with the homologous series and the structural formula of alcohols. General data sheets for methanol and ethanol are included in the evaluation of the experiment "Iodoform test" (P7172000).

Learning objectives

• Methanol, among other substances, is produced by the dry distillation of wood.
• Methanol is a combustible alcohol with a low boiling point.

Benefits

• Easy teaching and efficient learning by using interactive experimentation PHYWE-Software
• Experiment is part of a complete solution set with experiments for the topic Organic Chemistry matched with international curriculum: all topics are covered