On Dec 4, 2013, at 1:22 PM, Michael Hennebry <hennebry at web.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu> wrote: > On Wed, 4 Dec 2013, Warren Young wrote: > >> At $11 for a couple of >> tiny bottles, both of which you have to use together, it's another 2-3x >> more expensive than tape head cleaner. > > For me, the bottom line is how much it will cost > to clean *one* CPU/heat spreader combination. Because I always have a Menda bottle full of high-purity alcohol on the electronics bench, I find many uses for it. If I had to drive to Radio Shack every ounce or so to get a refill, I would doubtless not bother for most jobs. >> 100% is possible if you synthesize it > > I'm not sure what you mean by synthesize in this context. I mean assemble the molecules from bulk quantities of their constituent elements. :) Chemical engineering. As my measurement data in the post I just sent hints, there are serious practical problems -- aside from the direct economic ones -- that restrict the utility of such high-purity alcohols. There's probably no point using it outside a cleanroom. Dust on the glassware will wreck the purity rating otherwise.