On Wed, 4 Dec 2013, Warren Young wrote: > 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. I don't have an electronics bench. For me, this is a Very Special Occasion, one that I hope notto repeat for a long time. >>> 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. That is what I thought you meant. I'm not sure that is even possible. Judging from Wikipedia, no one makes it that way. > 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. I wasn't planning to look for 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. -- Michael hennebry at web.cs.ndsu.NoDak.edu "SCSI is NOT magic. There are *fundamental technical reasons* why it is necessary to sacrifice a young goat to your SCSI chain now and then." -- John Woods