How Does Methanol Affect Breathalyzer Readings?

AI Thread Summary
Drinking methanol can lead to blindness and affects breathalyzer readings, which are typically measured in mg/100 mL of blood. The breathalyzer operates through an oxidation reaction involving potassium dichromate, silver nitrate, and sulfuric acid, converting dichromate into chromate for measurement. When methanol is present, the breathalyzer's reading is inaccurately elevated due to the differing molecular weights of ethanol and methanol. Specifically, the error in the breathalyzer's reading would be proportional to the ratio of these molecular weights, resulting in a higher than accurate measurement expressed in mg/L.
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If a person drank methanol, they would go blind, and their breathalyser analysis (in units of mg/100 mL blood) would be in error. Its reading would be?
 
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I believe that the breathalyzer uses an oxidation reaction (potassium dichromate, silver nitrate, sulfuric acid) to convert the dichromate into chromate which is then measured. All things being equal, the error should be on the order of the ratio of the molecular weight of ethanol to methanol and the results expressed in mg/l. The reading would be high by that ratio.
 

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