Anhydrous alcohol

Nedstar is your dependable anhydrous ethanol sourcing partner. We can supply guaranteed pure ethyl alcohol from your preferred geographical region or agricultural origin. We can also provide tailor-made solutions, as always underpinned by our excellent service standards.

What is anhydrous ethanol?

Anhydrous ethanol (also known as anhydrous alcohol, absolute alcohol, absolute ethyl alcohol, ethanol 199 proof/200 proof, pure ethyl alcohol or extra neutral anhydrous alcohol) is pure alcohol. ‘Pure’ is here defined as alcohol with anywhere between a minimum 99.5% alcohol and a maximum of a few parts per million water content (‘anhydrous’ means ‘containing no water’).

Anhydrous ethanol uses

The uses of anhydrous ethanol include as a solvent in laboratory and other specialised industrial contexts, where water reacting with other chemicals present would be a problem. An example would be the electronics industry, where sensitive equipment may be seriously damaged by coming into contact with water. Other anhydrous alcohol uses range from fuel manufacture, where low water content is also crucial, to a solvent in lacquers, where the lack of moisture makes the lacquer harder and clearer.

Synthetic anhydrous ethanol is often used, for example, in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, though nowadays some cosmetics companies avoid using synthetic alcohol as part of their wider commitment to using only natural products.