Difference Between Rubbing Alcohol and Hand Sanitizer

The key difference between rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer is that rubbing alcohol is denatured ethanol with other components, whereas hand sanitizers are solutions containing a high percentage of alcohol in water.

Alcohols are organic compounds having the general formula R-OH. Therefore, their functional group is a hydroxyl group (-OH). Rubbing alcohol is a combination of denatured ethanol with some other additives. Hand sanitizers are a product that uses alcohol for cleaning the surface of the palm.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Rubbing Alcohol 
3. What is Hand Sanitizer
4. Side by Side Comparison – Rubbing Alcohol vs Hand Sanitizer in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Rubbing Alcohol?

Rubbing alcohol or denatured ethanol is a form of ethanol containing a high amount of additives and denaturants, which makes it poisonous. In surgical terms, we often use the term surgical spirit, which is a type of rubbing alcohol. This chemical has an unpleasant taste and a foul smell that. Sometimes there can be some additives such as dyes to distinguish denatured ethanol from undenatured ethanol. The process of denaturing ethanol to make rubbing alcohol does not alter the chemical structure of ethanol nor decompose it. In this production process, ethanol is only altered to make it undrinkable.

Figure 1: A Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol

The additives used in producing denatured ethanol are methanol, isopropanol, and, pyridine. These compounds are used to get a poisonous solution, and sometimes denatonium is used to make the solution bitter. The purpose of producing denatured ethanol is to reduce recreational consumption and to reduce taxes on alcoholic beverages. The traditional additive used for denaturing ethanol is 10% methanol. Denatured ethanol is cheaper than undenatured forms of ethanol.

What is Hand Sanitizer?

Hand sanitizers are liquids or gels that are used to clean the surface of the hand. It can be available in the form of liquid, gel, or foam. This chemical can remove infectious agents on hand. However, this chemical is less effective against some microbes such as norovirus. Unlike soap with water, hand sanitizers cannot remove any chemical on hand; therefore, most often, washing hands with soap and water is more preferred.

Figure 02: Hand Sanitizer

Typically, hand sanitizers contain isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or n-propanol. The most effective hand sanitizers contain about 60-95% alcohol. Therefore, care should be taken when handling this chemical because it is highly flammable. These formulations can act against microbes to kill them but cannot destroy the spores. Moreover, glycerol is added to the solution to prevent the skin from drying. Sometimes, hand sanitizers may contain some fragrance as well.

What is the Difference Between Rubbing Alcohol and Hand Sanitizer?

Rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer are important chemicals in cleaning surfaces. The key difference between rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer is that rubbing alcohol is denatured ethanol with other components, whereas hand sanitizers are solutions containing a high percentage of alcohol in water. Rubbing alcohol is used for cleaning and disinfection while hand sanitizes are used for killing microbes on hand.

Below infographic tabulates the difference between rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer in detail.

Summary – Rubbing Alcohol vs Hand Sanitizer

Rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer are important chemicals in cleaning surfaces. The key difference between rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer is that rubbing alcohol is denatured ethanol with other components, whereas hand sanitizers are solutions containing a high percentage of alcohol in water.

Reference:

1. “Hand Sanitizer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 May 2020, Available here.
2. “Rubbing Alcohol.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Apr. 2020, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Rubbing alcohol” By Craig Spurrier – Own work (CC BY 2.5) via Commons Wikimedia

2. “Hand Sanitizer” By Simsala111 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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