Irriatates eyes and causes dizziness, nausea and is a possible carcinogen Use normal materials except lead aluminum and zinc. A colorless, flammable liquid with an odor repulsive pungent. Shipped and stored in dissolved acetone. Methanol was formerly produced by the destructive distillation of wood. The modern method of preparing methanol is based on the direct combination of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst.
Pure methanol is an important material in chemical synthesis.
Its derivatives are used in great quantities for building up a vast number of compounds, among them many important synthetic dyestuffs, resins, drugs, and perfumes. Large quantities are converted to dimethylaniline for dyestuffs and to formaldehyde for synthetic resins. It is also used in automotive antifreezes, in rocket fuels, and as a general solvent. The methanol derived from wood is used chiefly for rendering ethyl alcohol unfit to drink. It forms explosive mixtures with air and burns with a nonluminous flame.