Curious - Seperating Methanol and toulene?

[MomentOfTruth]

I can't seem to find 100% Toulene anywhere in my area. I have however found a hardware store that sells "Lacquer Thinner" that contains Methyl Alcohol and Toulene. I only need a small amount of toulene(recommended solvent) for this particular project, so i'm wondering if this would be an easy/inexpensive workaround that would save me from ordering online.

I am under the understanding that Toulene is almost completely insoluble in water so i'm wondering if i did a liquid/liquid extraction and added some H20 to the solvent, if it would seperate into 2 distinct layers. Thus allowing me to pull the methanol/h20 solution off and leave the toulene behind. Appreciate any insights on this matter!

Thanks!

 

[Dr_Sister]

It definitely works with ethanol/toluene mixtures. Methanol being more polar should work as well. Use a fairly large volume of H20, about equal to the volume of laquer thinner. You'll know if it worked when the aqueous volume increases.

 

[MomentOfTruth]

OK great, i'm going to give it a shot this weekend and see what happens! Thank you very much!!

 

[Infundibulum]

yes, rinsing your tolu/methanol mixture with water is exactly what you need to do!

 

[MomentOfTruth]

Thank you sir! Its a great feeling to start figuring some of these things out myself with a little critical thinking and a dab of ingenuity! I just wanted to get reassurance from the experienced folks here at the nexus before I gave it a shot!