denatured alcohol denatured alcohol denatured alcohol (also called methylated spirits or meths in australia, canada, ireland, new zealand, south africa, and the united kingdom; wood spirit; and denatured rectified spirit) is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad-tasting, foul-smelling, or nauseating to discourage its recreational consumption. it is sometimes dyed so that it can be identified visually. pyridine and methanol, each and together, make denatured alcohol poisonous; and denatonium makes it bitter. 1 us gallon or 3.785 litres of denatured alcohol in a metal container denatured alcohol is used as a solvent and as fuel for alcohol burners and camping stoves. because of the diversity of industrial uses for denatured alcohol, hundreds of additives and denaturing methods have been used. the main additive usually is 10% methanol (methyl alcohol), hence the name methylated spirits. other common additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone. denatured alcohol blends average 60 to 90% ethanol. denaturing alcohol does not alter the ethanol molecule (chemically or structurally), unlike denaturation in biochemistry. rather, the ethanol is mixed with other chemicals to form a foul-tasting, often toxic, solution. for many of these solutions, it is intentionally difficult to separate the components. uses main article: ethanol § uses in many countries, sales of alcoholic beverages are heavily taxed for revenue and public health policy purposes (see pigovian tax). in order to avoid paying beverage taxes on alcohol that is not meant to be consumed, the alcohol is usually "denatured", or treated with added chemicals to make it unpalatable. its composition is tightly defined by government regulations in countries that tax alcoholic beverages. denatured alcohol is used identically to ethanol itself except for applications that involve fuel, surgical and laboratory stock. pure ethanol is required for food and beverage applications and certain chemical reactions where the denaturant would interfere. in molecular biology, denatured ethanol should not be used for the precipitation of nucleic acids, since the additives may interfere with downstream applications. denatured alcohol has no advantages for any purpose over normal ethanol; it is a public policy compromise. as denatured alcohol is sold without the often heavy taxes on alcohol suitable for consumption, it is a cheaper solution for most uses that do not involve drinking. if pure ethanol were made cheaply available for fuel, solvents, or medicinal purposes, it would likely be enjoyed as a drink by many people without payment of alcoholic beverage taxes. toxicity