Why only 75% alcohol can disinfect and sterilize?
Disinfection with alcohol is common sense. What is strange is that the alcohol used in medical treatment is alcohol with a concentration of 75%, but pure alcohol cannot sterilize. What is the reason for this?
The scientific name of alcohol is ethanol (C2H5OH), which has a strong penetrating power and can penetrate into the interior of bacteria, coagulate the bacterial protein (chemically called denaturation), and cause the bacteria to die due to inactivity.
Different concentrations of medical alcohol have different effects. 25% to 50% alcohol can be used for physical antipyretic. 40% to 50% alcohol can prevent bedsores. 70% to 75% alcohol can be used for sterilization and disinfection, including skin disinfection, medical equipment disinfection, deiodination of iodine, etc. This refers to normal skin disinfection, not wound disinfection. 95% alcohol, medical units are often used as fuel for alcohol lamps and alcohol stoves.
What should I pay attention to when using alcohol?
First, don't spray clothes, because we use 75 percent alcohol, and the lowest flammable point is 22 degrees. When the concentration of alcohol in the air reaches 3%, the static electricity generated by the clothes may cause burning or even explosion, so when sterilizing clothes, we can choose to wipe instead of spraying.
Second, when sterilizing electrical appliances, be sure to turn off the power supply and other electrical appliances. Disinfection after cooling down, the epidemic situation is repeated, please still take precautions and do not relax.
