Boiling Ethanol & Using a kitchen exhaust hood instead of a fume hood

[Syntax__Error]

Hi, I'm doing a lab at home on photosynthesis for biology, in which I have to boil leaves in ethanol, and I have a few questions about safety for this. First of all, is it at all safe to actually boil denatured alcohol/ethanol, especially where people might inhale it? And depending on how safe that is, would an average kitchen exhaust hood be an at least somewhat adequate replacement for a fume hood if I were to boil denatured alcohol under it?
Thanks!

 

[DrDu]

Usually alcohol is denaturated with extremely bitter tasting substances, but not very toxic ones. So I don't think there are major health risks, especially if volumes are small.
Be careful that the alcohol does not inflame. Some fume hoods have filters made from inflamable material (especially if saturated with fat), but that's a much bigger problem if you flambe something in the kitchen.

 

[Borek]

In general kitchen exhaust can't replace the fume hood, ever.

In this particular case, as long as we are talking about milliliters (as opposed to high volumes) my main concern would be not fumes that you can inhale, but the risk of fire.

Best approach would be to boil the ethanol out outside, using heat source without an open fire.

Edit: DrDu was faster.

 

[chemisttree]

Hi, I'm doing a lab at home on photosynthesis for biology,...

That is soooo unlikely.

 

[LudusRex]

I highly recommend against boiling ethanol in a home setting, especially without proper equipment such as a fume hood. Ethanol is a highly flammable substance and can be dangerous if not handled properly. Additionally, inhaling ethanol vapors can be harmful to your health.

Using a kitchen exhaust hood instead of a fume hood is not a safe alternative. Kitchen exhaust hoods are designed to remove smoke and cooking odors, not hazardous chemicals. They may not effectively remove the ethanol vapors and could potentially spread them throughout your home.

I strongly advise that you conduct this experiment in a laboratory setting with the appropriate safety equipment, including a fume hood. If that is not possible, I suggest finding an alternative method for your photosynthesis lab that does not involve boiling ethanol. Your safety should always be the top priority in any scientific experiment.