As practice shows, not only amateur winemakers try to determine the degree of the fermented drink. Often, even on alcohol bought in a good store, the information from the label does not correspond to reality, and therefore the question of the strength remains open.
The basis of strong alcohol - ethyl alcohol - is an initially transparent liquid with a characteristic alcoholic smell, evaporates and burns very quickly. The level of alcohol content is commonly called the degree of alcoholic beverages, the higher the degree, the stronger the drink.
Ethyl alcohol is an inexpensive base for mixtures and a solvent, it is often used in pharmaceuticals, and its infusions are stable.
Tabular measurement system
The amount of alcohol in the composition of the liquid is determined according to special tables, the first of which were developed by the scientist D. I. Mendeleev. To determine the strength of alcohol, today the GOST standard is used, according to which the strength of a solution is the percentage in the volume of a mixture of alcohol at a normal temperature of 20 ° C.
Now, in order to determine the amount of alcohol in a solution, the metric system is used, where the unit of account is a liter of alcohol for the entire volume at normal temperature.
Hydrometer
To determine the concentration of alcohol, a special glass measuring device is used, a hydrometer with an internal scale of one hundred divisions, which is called an alcohol meter. Each of the divisions located on its scale shows the volume percentage of alcohol in the mixture. A zero mark on it indicates that the water is absolutely pure, and a mark of 100 indicates that the mixture is pure alcohol.
This method requires an accurate approach, during which it is necessary to correctly position the cylinder in order to track the position of the straight line.
Hydrometer measurements
To measure the strength of alcohol using an alcohol meter, you must first rinse the container. Usually, a graduated cylinder or beaker is taken for measurements. The alcohol meter, like the container, must be dry and clean.
Next, the mixture is poured into the container for further analysis, it must be shaken with a special stirrer, which during the manipulation should not leave the liquid. The stirrer can be purchased separately from the alcohol meter, although in most cases they are a set.
If the determination was made correctly and at the required temperature, the alcohol meter will give the correct result on the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the solution.
After that, an alcohol meter is placed in a container with alcohol, a column with a measuring scale of which should be immersed in the liquid by a maximum of a third.
The indicator is evaluated after 5-7 minutes, you need to look at the ellipse of the meniscus, which, narrowing, forms a line projected onto the scale of the alcohol meter.
