Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-15
CHEMISTS SEEKING
TO "SPO|L" ALCOHOL
Non-Poisonous ingredient to
Make 1t Unfit to Drink
Is Elusive.


engaged with problem that ante
dates by many years the eighteenth
amendment--the job of finding some
denaturant that will make alcohol I'm
drinkablc without making 1t fatally
poisonous.
This ideal denaturant has beer
sought the world over as long as there
have been taxes on liquor. and for cen
turtles every civilized government has
sought to make a source of revenue
from distilled spirits. During the past
four months the search has been in
tensified at the prohibition unit labo
ratories in the Treasury building, but
the chemists are little nearer d Solu
ton Of the problem, according to Dr
W. T. Under, assistant chief of the
Industrial alcohol and chemical divl
sion of the prohibition unit.
AS Soon as one formula which seems
unbeatable is determined. clever chem
lists on the side Of the lawbreakers de
wise some way of getting around IT.
Three Factors Involved.
The problem. according to Chief
Chemist D0ran of the Prohibition
Service, can be divided into three
steps:
I. Something must be put into indus
trial alcohol which cannot he sepa
rated from it chemically without a
process so difficult and expensive tha'
it would not pay to undertake II.
> This substance must have some
characteristic which makes the liquor
containing it not only unfit but un
inviting to drink Preferably, it
would make It so vile tasting that
oven the most hardened soak would
not drink it.
sit must not be fatal The prohi
hition unit, Mr.. Doran says, will not
take any steps likely to result III
deaths. This. he claims. would not
he sound public policy. 1t is realized
that every type of distilled spirits Will
he sampled by somebody, regardless OF
what it contains.
In addition to these considerations
the prohibition chemist also must
bear In mind that industrial alcoho
Is a legitimate necessity. He must
not add anything that will make the
product unfit for perfumes, cosmetics
raints or any other of the numerous
articles Of which it is a necessary IN
credient. Were it not for this con-
siderat;on. Mr.. Doran said. the prob
lem of a denaturant would be raj
simpler
Bootleggers Deal Death.
Alcohol deaths, according to Mr.
Doran. cannot he traced TO the ldcl
that the prohibition unit has ordered
the source of supply doctored. IheSe
almost invariably are due to the Gu
piditv of bootleggers. who do not try
n nurifv the wood alcohol which
comes into their hands. An example
of this. he said, was the recent death
v,-ava near Buffalo from poison liquor
These were caused either by pure
wood alcohol or by pure Syntnetlt
alcohol which is being imported from
Germany for commercial purposes
Both probably would have been rem
dered non-fatal If the bootleggers had
employed reliable chemists for the
purpose.
Everv now and then it is necessary
20 change the denaturing formula be-
cause chemists outside devise ways
of getting the material into drinkable
shane A few weeks ago orders We're
issued to industrial alcohol plants
that one-half of l per cent more gas
cline be added Every change in the
formula REQUIRES long. patient work
on the part of the chemists here. VINO
must keep in mind every aspect OF
tho situation. 1t is not enough sim
oiv TO devise something that Is not
eas,lv subject to Redistribution or any
other chemical process which Woulo
get out the foreign substance.
The search for an ideal denaturah'
cas pursued most strenuously before
Stbe World War. when both France
and Russia offered substantial prizes
70 the chemist who could discover 1t
Roth these governments were inter
ested IN taxing beverage liquors. Lat
tie real procress was made. however
as the American Government learned
when the prohibition law brought II
face TO face with the problem.
Now the search Is pursued strenu-
ouslv in both the United States ano
Canada The latter government re-
GENTLY issued new regulations cover
ing denaturarts.
Doran Suggests Prize.
"rt would help" Mr.. Doran believes,
s4f somebody would offer d prize tha'
would set the chemists of this coun-
,rv 10 work on the problem.
Among the articles used in denatur-
;rr formulas nut out by the prohibi-
zion unit are gasoline. kerosene, pyrl-
dine aniline oil. pine oil and nitro
benzol. All these are used III very
small quantities and cannot be sepa-
rated easily from the finished product
The work is directed by Mr.. Doran
assisted by DIR. w. z. Under IN tine
laboratories on the top floor or the
Treasury Building.
"It's the battle of wits that makes
Il interesting" said Mr. Doran- 1t
y case of chemist matched against
chemist"
Meanwhile there's always somebody
willing to take a chance With any ne"
form Of hay rum. perfume. flavorinIs
extract or embalmins fluid put on the
market. and the chief hope of the
nrohlbition unit chemists is that they
can make the drinkers so sick they II
oever trv the same stuff again.