Question

The amount of water present in the rectified spirit is________?
A. 4.4%
B. 10%
C. 95.6%
D. 80%

Answer 1

Hint: Generally, the rectified spirit is a continuous boiling mixture of two solutions, ethanol and water. It is also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol.

Complete step by step answer: So, the purity of rectified spirit has a practical limit of 95% Alcohol by volume and 95.6% by mass. When it is produced by using conventional distillation processes, as a mixture of ethanol and water, it will become a minimum-boiling azeotrope at this concentration. So, with this we can conclude that only 4.4% water is present in the rectified spirit.

Hence, the correct option is (A).

Additional Information:
Some of the uses of Rectified spirit are listed below:
- They are used in the production of blended whisky, some liqueurs, and some bitters.
- It is as a consumer product, always mixed with other beverages to create drinks.
- It is also used to make homemade liqueurs, such as limoncello or cassis, and in cooking because its high concentration of alcohol acts as a solvent to extract flavors.
- Rectified spirits are also used for medicinal tinctures and as a household solvent.
- It is sometimes consumed undiluted; however because the alcohol is very high proof, overconsumption can cause alcohol poisoning more quickly than more traditional distilled spirits.

Note: Based on the chemical nature of ethanol and water, their concentration in the liquid mixture does not alter when heated to its boiling point. Whatever the composition present in the liquid mixture is equal to the concentrations of the component in the vapour obtained from the ethanol and water liquid mixture when heated to its boiling condition.