Product Overview
Methanol ACS Reagent Grade is a colorless, volatile liquid solvent carried under CAS 67-56-1. Also called methyl alcohol or carbinol, it is one of the most widely used solvents in analytical and industrial chemistry — valued for its polarity, low molecular weight (32.042 g/mol), and complete miscibility with water.
This product is designated ACS Reagent Grade, which means it is procured to the purity tier that analytical labs, instrument operators, and QC departments typically specify for work where solvent background interference matters — chromatography runs, spectroscopic baselines, and quantitative reactions. Alliance Chemical offers it in pack sizes from 1 quart bottles through 330-gallon totes, covering bench-scale research through full production volumes.
Why This Grade
Grade selection drives your downstream data. ACS Reagent Grade methanol is the designation that analytical buyers write into SOPs when their methods call for a controlled-purity solvent. If your HPLC or UV-Vis procedure specifies ACS-grade methanol, substituting a technical or denatured alcohol introduces unknowns — trace absorbers, water content variation, or residue — that can shift baselines and compromise quantitation.
For cost-sensitive processes that don't touch an instrument — fuel blending, bulk extraction, or general cleaning — a technical-grade methanol may be sufficient and more economical. The decision is straightforward: if your SOP or method reference names ACS Reagent Grade, that is what the work requires. If it does not, evaluate whether the lower grade meets your process tolerances before paying the reagent-grade premium.
Chemical Profile
Methanol (CH₄O, molecular weight 32.042 g/mol, CAS 67-56-1) is a colorless liquid with a faintly sweet, pungent odor similar to ethyl alcohol — crude grades carry a sharper, more repulsive note. It has a density of 0.792 at 68 °F, making it less dense than water, and it is fully miscible with water at all proportions. Vapor pressure is notable: 100 mmHg at 70.2 °F, rising to roughly 238 mmHg at 100 °F, which means it evaporates quickly in open containers and generates flammable vapor even at room temperature. Solubility in water is effectively unlimited (≥100 mg/mL at 70 °F). These properties — high volatility, low viscosity, complete water miscibility — are exactly what make methanol effective as a mobile-phase solvent and extraction medium, and exactly what make vapor management critical during handling.
Industrial Applications
Methanol ACS Reagent Grade serves a range of analytical, chemical, and industrial workflows:
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HPLC mobile phase. Methanol is a standard mobile-phase component in reversed-phase chromatography. Its polarity, UV transparency at analytical wavelengths, and miscibility with aqueous buffers make it one of two go-to organic modifiers (alongside acetonitrile) for separating organic compounds. ACS Reagent Grade minimizes spectral interference and ghost peaks.
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Spectroscopy solvent. In UV-Vis work, methanol's low UV cutoff wavelength allows reliable baseline measurements without solvent absorbance competing with analyte signal. Laboratories routinely use it as a blank or reference solvent.
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Chemical synthesis. Methanol participates as both solvent and reactant in organic synthesis — esterifications, methylations, and recrystallizations. Its volatility simplifies solvent removal under reduced pressure after a reaction is complete.
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Extraction medium. Because methanol is polar and fully miscible with water, it pulls polar and moderately polar compounds from natural matrices. Food-science and fragrance laboratories use it to isolate flavor and aroma compounds from plant material.
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Fuel additive. In energy applications, methanol is blended into fuels to displace water and modify combustion characteristics. Bulk buyers in this sector typically order drum or tote quantities.
Handling & Storage
Methanol carries a Danger signal word (per the product's GHS classification). The hazard statements tell you exactly what you are managing:
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H225 — Highly flammable liquid and vapor (per the product's GHS classification)
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H301 — Toxic if swallowed (per the product's GHS classification)
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H311 — Toxic in contact with skin (per the product's GHS classification)
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H331 — Toxic if inhaled (per the product's GHS classification)
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H370 — Causes damage to organs (per the product's GHS classification)
Those aren't boilerplate warnings. Methanol is acutely toxic through every route of exposure — ingestion, skin absorption, and inhalation — and targets the optic nerve and central nervous system. Treat it accordingly.
PPE: Chemical-resistant gloves (butyl rubber or laminate film — not latex), indirect-vented splash goggles, and a lab coat at minimum. Use a fume hood or local exhaust ventilation whenever transferring or dispensing; remember that vapor pressure at room temperature is 100 mmHg, so headspace builds fast in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces.
Storage: Keep containers in a cool, well-ventilated area, away from heat sources, open flames, and strong oxidizers or acids. HDPE or glass containers are appropriate. Ground and bond metal containers during transfer to prevent static discharge. Vapors are slightly heavier than air and can travel along floors to remote ignition sources — do not allow accumulation in confined spaces such as buildings, pits, or sewers.
Hazmat & Shipping
Methanol is a regulated hazardous material for transport. Every shipment from Alliance Chemical is classified, packaged, marked, and documented per DOT requirements:
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UN Number: UN1230 (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Proper Shipping Name: Methanol (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Hazard Class: 3 (Flammable Liquid) with subsidiary hazard 6.1 (Toxic) (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Packing Group: II (per 49 CFR 172.101)
Class 3 / PG II with a 6.1 subsidiary means this product requires full hazmat shipping papers, placards on bulk shipments, and packaging that meets performance-oriented standards. Our warehouse team in Taylor, TX handles DOT-regulated shipments daily — proper documentation, labeling, and carrier coordination are built into every order. Shipping guidance on this page has been reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist.
Documentation
Every order of Methanol ACS Reagent Grade ships with a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. A Technical Data Sheet (TDS) is also available for buyers who need the full product specification on file.
Lot-specific Certificates of Analysis (COA) are available on request, documenting the actual analytical results for the batch you receive. If your quality system requires incoming material verification or vendor qualification records, contact us and reference your order or lot number.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
Methanol ACS Reagent Grade is available to order from quart bottles for bench work through 330-gallon totes for production-scale use — with SDS documentation in four languages and lot-specific COA available for every shipment. Alliance Chemical has distributed industrial and laboratory chemicals since 1998, serving over 50,000 customers from our Taylor, Texas warehouse. Our team handles DOT-regulated hazmat shipments daily under USDOT registration #2188383 — methanol's Class 3 / 6.1 classification is routine for us, not an exception.
