currently, this is a shortage in ethanol or alcohol-based sanitizers during to covid-19 distribution, researches suggest that 0.5% hydrogen peroxide is effective like 60% ethanol sanitizer, So is diluted hydrogen peroxide safe as a hand sanitizer in the case that soap and water are not available?
Dear Menna, I do not know how much reliable are the sources from which I was informed but I read in various articles in the media that the only effective disinfectant indicated for hand use is the 70% alcohol-based gel. It can be made from 4 parts ethanol or isopropyl alcohol min. 99% and 1 part hand gel for nourishing the skin but especially for preventing too fast evaporation of the alcohol that must stay on skin for 1 minute at least. Disinfectants based on chlorine or 0.5% hydrogen peroxide can be used for surfaces only, as they can cause allergies on the skin. As a chemist I fully support these recommendations and arguments.
Dear Menna, I do not know how much reliable are the sources from which I was informed but I read in various articles in the media that the only effective disinfectant indicated for hand use is the 70% alcohol-based gel. It can be made from 4 parts ethanol or isopropyl alcohol min. 99% and 1 part hand gel for nourishing the skin but especially for preventing too fast evaporation of the alcohol that must stay on skin for 1 minute at least. Disinfectants based on chlorine or 0.5% hydrogen peroxide can be used for surfaces only, as they can cause allergies on the skin. As a chemist I fully support these recommendations and arguments.
How to prepare the disinfectant The ingredients: you need alcohol for spirits, hydrogen peroxide (3% hydrogen peroxide), glycerol or glycerin, a graduated container, a syringe, a very clean graduated container. Take the graduated container. Pour 833 ml of alcohol (if it is 832 or 834, this is not a disaster), with a syringe, add 42 ml of hydrogen peroxide and mix. Add 15 ml of glycerin (found in pharmacies). It is very dense, be patient. Mix well and add boiled water then cool to a volume of one liter. You have a liter of disinfectant. Regards
This might be the one of the solution in the place where shortage of sanitizersc to protect covid-19 distribution. It may help many people in developing countries.
Apparently hydrogen peroxide alone can be used as disinfectant for surfaces, including the skin, when it is used in concentrations of up to 3%. To me, a concentration of only 0.05% seems too dilute to be sufficiently effective.
Carmen Mateescu , do you see any issue using Ethanol (95.4%) that has been denatured with n-Heptane (4%) for hand sanitizer? I am a little worried about applying n-Heptane to the skin so want to confirm before we use it. Thank you!
Hi Kari Wolff, I would not worry too much about the small percentage of n-heptane. It is known, that n-heptane is much less toxic than n-hexane.
Dear Wolff, I did not go into details on how to obtain ethanol (which, as mentioned, will be diluted with skin nourishing products, eg glycerin), its concentration being reduced to min. 70%. I spoke about pure, non-denatured ethanol, not all industrial processes for pure ethanol synthesis involve n-heptane. Ethanol is most commonly manufactured by ethylene hydration. Also, ethanol obtained biochemically from the fermentation of sugars is recommended for the mentioned applications. Thanks for your biting acid reply, I think a suggestion regarding the question asked by Menna would have been more useful...
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