# It's powder, you see? So it's not dangerous! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 6, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985 "2007-06-06T14:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/1 "2007-06-06T14:13:06Z")
[Linky](http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/06/powdered.booze.reut/index.html) Liquid alcohol is dangerous for kids, see? We know that to be true. But this is powdered alcohol–not the same thing. So we can market it to kids like Pop Rocks and they can eat/guzzle it by the kilo and no harm will come to them. OK, neat parlour trick getting alcohol to keep in a powdered form. Convenient that this form eludes taxation and minimum age laws. But just because it’s legal, should it be done anyway? When the end result will be more legislation to include the powder in the liquid laws? Not to mention the potential for disaster in letting some 12 year old OD himself before he’s had a chance to develop some kind of sense! Grow up already. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/2 "2007-06-06T14:18:27Z")
Very clever, to be sure, but I’m betting that there will be new legislation on this before much harm can come of it. But when it hits American shores, I gotta try me some. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/3 "2007-06-06T15:06:17Z")
[It’s old news.](http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2005/powdered-alcohol-drinks-sold.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/4 "2007-06-06T15:20:24Z")
Is it even a real product? How can alcohol be turned into a powder? ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/5 "2007-06-06T15:25:20Z")
Um, this strikes me as urban legend, seeing as it it (as far as I know) physically impossible. Alcohol is a liquid (ethanol, anyway, the stuff we drink). You can’t “dehydrate” it to form a powder - even without water it’s a liquid. Anything I can think of that might break down into ethanol when immersed in water is also a liquid. There’s no such thing as “powdered” ethanol. I think you all got conned. mischievous ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/6 "2007-06-06T15:36:00Z")
[QUOTE=Uvula Donor] [It’s old news.](http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2005/powdered-alcohol-drinks-sold.html) [/QUOTE] That link claims you can buy the stuff online, but I was unable to find a link that sold it. Of course, being that I don’t speak Dutch or German hampered my shopping efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/7 "2007-06-06T15:40:26Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] **It’s powder, you see?** [/QUOTE] At least it isn’t Iocane. That stuff _is_ dangerous! ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/8 "2007-06-06T15:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=mischievous] Um, this strikes me as urban legend, seeing as it it (as far as I know) physically impossible. Alcohol is a liquid (ethanol, anyway, the stuff we drink). You can’t “dehydrate” it to form a powder - even without water it’s a liquid. Anything I can think of that might break down into ethanol when immersed in water is also a liquid. There’s no such thing as “powdered” ethanol. I think you all got conned. mischievous [/QUOTE] Re. the “urban legend” bit, yes I have only ever heard of this once when it was a newspaper over here doing an April Fool thing about some crafty Japanese company inventing powdered whisky. -oh, worry now for Scottish exports, etc. I don’t see how it can really be done either, but me and clever science never did get on well. It could be a nice lightweight way to carry important refreshment on a journey, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/9 "2007-06-06T15:58:04Z")
I wish they would come up with it, since they don’t allow bottles or cans into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Especially since the local breweries stopped selling bags of beer. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/10 "2007-06-06T16:00:27Z")
Heck, selling beer in bags sounds an odd concept to start with. A bit messy, I’d think, but then again with a bit of practice, I’m sure one learns how to cope. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/11 "2007-06-06T16:05:40Z")
[QUOTE=Celyn] Heck, selling beer in bags sounds an odd concept to start with. A bit messy, I’d think, but then again with a bit of practice, I’m sure one learns how to cope. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Probably works for Canadians who have been selling milk in plastic bags for many years… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Redfrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@Redfrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfrost)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/12 "2007-06-06T16:13:27Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Is it even a real product? How can alcohol be turned into a powder? [/QUOTE] I’m not a chemist by even the broadest stretch of one’s imagination or definition but I was told that ether is the dehydrated form of ethanol. I’m willing to accept that I might be some kind of idiot. I’m asking those who know to check this out and let me know if this is true. I found something on wikipedia that mentions dehydrating alcohols into ether. [Link](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/13 "2007-06-06T16:16:15Z")
[QUOTE=ASAKMOTSD] Probably works for Canadians who have been selling milk in plastic bags for many years… 😉 [/QUOTE] Aha! Yeah, after I hit submit, I recalled A) my brother’s confusion on meeting milk sold in plastic bags on a camping trip up north, and B) that I thought I had also seen the milk-in-bags thing mentioned here on the Dope before. Damn clever, these Canadians. 😃 I suppose, on reflection, it works fine if that is what you are expecting and you have a useful sized jug or something to pour it into, but I can tell you it confused the hell out of my little brother and his friends who were on a cycling trip and not exactly carrying much in the way of kitchen equipment, being non-domesticated 13-year old boys. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/14 "2007-06-06T16:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] I wish they would come up with it, since they don’t allow bottles or cans into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area [/QUOTE] Off topic, but look for a local distributor of [French Rabbit wines](http://www.frenchrabbit.com/) which come in Tetra-packs. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/15 "2007-06-06T16:22:44Z")
[QUOTE=mischievous] Um, this strikes me as urban legend, seeing as it it (as far as I know) physically impossible. Alcohol is a liquid (ethanol, anyway, the stuff we drink). You can’t “dehydrate” it to form a powder - even without water it’s a liquid. Anything I can think of that might break down into ethanol when immersed in water is also a liquid. There’s no such thing as “powdered” ethanol. [/QUOTE] I was equally skeptical, but a little googling around suggests that it might be possible. From a discussion [here](http://www.drugs-forum.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-16499.html) (some information also appears elsewhere): > [@](#): > > In a discussion about it, this was written: > “I’m a big fan of your site. I’m also a chemistry professor. > Alcohol’s active ingredient is ethanol (CH3-CH2-OH). Ethanol is a volatile liquid— meaning that it evaporates much more readily than water, or even than rubbing alcohol (aka isopropanol). So the short answer to your question is no, “subyou” cannot be a powdered form of ethanol because ethanol at room temperature is a liquid (and a short-lived one at that). However, subyou could be say 95% filler (sugar?) which has been mixed with a small amount of ethanol (your link suggests 4.8% ethanol by volume). Given that this amount of alcohol, even if one were to eat the powder straight, is only 9.6 proof “alcohol”, I’m skeptical that it’s as powerful as the website would like us to believe. It would be more efficient to get a buzz from dropping a bit of Everclear into your favorite liquid. That said, reformulating ethanol into a physical form that bypasses alcohol tax combined with advertising aimed at customers of questionable legal drinking age is pretty unsavory.” > [@](#): > > According to the manufacturer, the powder is produced in the following way. A solution of water and alcohol is mixed with maltodextrin and then spray-dried at relatively low temperatures. Each molecule of alcohol is encapsulated by dextrin during the spray-drying process and the smaller water molecules are allowed to pass through the surface and evaporate. There is about a 5% loss of alcohol on the surface of each droplet. If the packets were air-tight the alcohol would not evaporate away. Without further confirmation I am not certain this is authentic but it seems possible. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/16 "2007-06-06T16:25:47Z")
[QUOTE=Redfrost] I’m not a chemist by even the broadest stretch of one’s imagination or definition but I was told that ether is the dehydrated form of ethanol. I’m willing to accept that I might be some kind of idiot. I’m asking those who know to check this out and let me know if this is true. I found something on wikipedia that mentions dehydrating alcohols into ether. [Link](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether) [/QUOTE] This is in the sense of an actual chemical conversion, not the removal of water that exists in the form of H20. This is something else entirely. However, since ether is volatile too even this wouldn’t get you anywhere (unless you want to snort ether). ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/17 "2007-06-06T16:25:48Z")
That first link is from CNN which I always considered a reliable source. I checked [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com) and couldn’t find any reference. Can anyone confirm that it’s a hoax? ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/18 "2007-06-06T16:35:38Z")
[QUOTE=Redfrost] I’m not a chemist by even the broadest stretch of one’s imagination or definition but I was told that ether is the dehydrated form of ethanol. I’m willing to accept that I might be some kind of idiot. I’m asking those who know to check this out and let me know if this is true. I found something on wikipedia that mentions dehydrating alcohols into ether. [Link](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether) [/QUOTE] That’s a chemical process that combines two alcohol molecules by removing an -OH from one and a -H from the -OH group of another, forming water which can be seperated out. You’d need another reaction to reverse the process and it wouldn’t be just adding water. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/19 "2007-06-06T17:03:29Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Is it even a real product? How can alcohol be turned into a powder? [/QUOTE] Don’t know, but during the Prohibition era\* there actually was a company that sold “wine bricks”; the instructions on the product basically told you not to add water to it and do one or two other procedures, because then you’d be making wine which would be illegal\*\*. - Read in an old Time Life book, part of a series on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. \*\* I’ve heard and read different accounts on whether you were allowed to make wine or not. I think the federal law allowed you to manufacture wine for your own use, but some states and localities probably banned that. It would seem in some places it would be legal to make your own wine anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Redfrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@Redfrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfrost)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985/20 "2007-06-06T17:03:36Z")
Thanks for the info. I should never listen to a priest in recovery (Father Joseph Martin). He used it to talk about the similiarity of effects between alcohol and ether. I’m a subtance abuse counselor and this is in one of the videos that many of my co-workers show. I think maybe he was painting with a broad brush. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-powder-you-see-so-its-not-dangerous/406985.md?page=2)