Glossary Of Terms

Acidity
-
The measure of how much acid a solution contains.

Air Lock

-
A device
for keeping the air out of a fermenting

brew. Can be made by attaching a tube to the top of the
fermentation

vessel and immersing the other end of the tube in a container

of water. The carbon dioxide gas bubbles out through the water,

but air cannot enter the fermentation container. A one-way vent

valve may be used for the same purpose.

Alkalinity
-
The measure of alkali in a solution. The word

.base. is a chemical term meaning alkali.

Alcohol
-
The family name of a group of organic compounds.

Includes methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and others.

In this book, the word .alcohol. generally refers to ethanol.

Anaerobic
- Without air.
All fermentation is anaerobic.

Anhydrous
-
Literally, without water. Anhydrous alcohol

refers to 197 proof or above.

Azeotrope
- The chemical
term for two liquids that, at a certain

concentration, boil at the same temperature. Alcohol and water

cannot be separated more than 194.4 proof because at this

concentration, alcohol and water form an azeotrope and vaporize

together.

Beer
-
The fermented mash, which contains about 10%
alcohol.

BTU
- British Thermal
Unit. The quantity of heat needed to

raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Boiling Point
-
The temperature at which a liquid boils. The

boiling point varies with the liquid and with the altitude. The

greater the altitude, the lower the boiling point.

C
- Abbreviation for
Celsius temperature.

Calibrated
-
Marked so that each mark signifies a certain

percent, proof, temperature or other measurement. For example, a

thermometer is calibrated in degrees F.

Calorie
-
The amount of heat required to raise one gram of

water one degree Celsius.

Carbohydrate
-
A chemical term describing compounds

made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Includes all starches

and sugars.

Carbon Dioxide
-
A gas produced as a by-product of fermentation.

Chemical formula is C02. Harmless. Can be compressed

and used as a refrigerant, used in silos to exclude air and

prevent spoilage, or vented to a greenhouse to help plant
growth.

Cassava
-
A starchy root crop used for tapioca. Can be

grown on marginal croplands along the southern coast of the US.

Cellulose
- A complex
carbohydrate that gives plants their

rigid structure.

Celsius
-
A temperature scale commonly used in the sciences.

Water freezes at 0 degrees C and boils at 100 degrees C at

sea level.

Centigrade
-
The same as Celsius but now outdated.

Columns
-As used in this
book, the apparatus for separating

water from alcohol through distillation.

Compound
-
A chemical term denoting a combination of

two or more distinct elements.

Condenser
-
A cooling apparatus designed to change a vapor

to a liquid by lowering the temperature.

DDGS
-
Distillers Dried Grain Solids. The residue left
after

fermentation and distilling DDGS from corn contains about 28%

protein.

Denaturant
-
As used in this book, a liquid that makes ethanol

unfit for drinking.

Dextrose-
The same as glucose. The terms are interchangeable.

Distillate
-
The end product of distillation. For fuel, ethanol.

Distillation
-
The process of separating two liquids by

changing one to a vapor with heat and driving the vapor off the

other liquid. The separated vapor is then condensed into another

container.

Distillers Grain
-
The high-protein residue left over after

fermentation. See DDGS.

DSB
- Abbreviation for
dry starch basis.

Energy Crops
-
Crops grown for their energy potential, as

for alcohol production.

Enzymes
-
Proteins which act as catalysts to change one

chemical compound to another chemical compound. Each chemical

reaction requires a different enzyme. The enzymes are not

used up, but can be destroyed by high heat, acidity, heavy
metals

and other chemical poisons.

Ethanol
- The same as
ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. Will

produce intoxication and can be burned as fuel.

F
- Abbreviation for
Fahrenheit temperature.

Fahrenheit
-
A temperature scale. Water freezes at 32 degrees

F and boils at 212 degrees F at sea level.

Feedstock
-
The raw material for fermentation, in this book.

Fermentation
-
The process where yeast changes sugar to

alcohol in the absence of air.

Fines
-
The fine particles that result from grinding or
cracking

solids.

Flash Point
- The
temperature at which a combustible liquid

will ignite when a f lame is introduced. Anhydrous ethanol

will f lash at 51 degrees F. 90 proof ethanol will flash at 78
degrees F.

Gasohol
- A blend of 10%
anhydrous alcohol with 90% unleaded

gasoline.

Glucose
- A simple sugar
that can be fermented to make

ethanol.

Hydrometer
-
A long stemmed glass tube with a weighted

bottom. It floats at different levels depending on the relative

weight (specific gravity) of the liquid. The specific gravity or

other information is read where the calibrated stem emerges from

the liquid.

Methanol
-
The same as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol.

Highly poisonous to drink or get on skin. Can be used as fuel.

Methane
-
A gas that can be produced from the decomposition

of organic materials or from the incomplete combustion of wood.

Membrane
-
As used in this book, a thin layer of a substance

that separates liquids by allowing one to pass through, but not
the

other.

Molecule
-
The chemical term for the smallest particle of

matter that is the same chemically as the whole mass.

Malting
-
The process of sprouting grains to produce enzymes

which break down starch into sugar.

Mash
-
The mixture prepared for fermentation.

Non-Renewable Energy
-
Energy produced from sources

that cannot be regenerated in a reasonable length of time. Oil,

coal, and nuclear energy are non-renewable energy sources.

Polysaccharides
- 30 or
more molecules of sugar joined

together.

Proof
.A
measure of alcohol content. Proof is twice the percentage

of alcohol. Thus, 200 proof is 100% alcohol.

Proof Test
-
Passing a lighted match over the alcohol to see

if it ignites. Alcohol will burn at 100 proof or above. It has
reached

.proof when it will first burn. Use test with caution.

pH
- A measure of
acidity or alkalinity on a scale of 0 to 14.

The more acid the solution, the lower the pH number. The more

alkaline, the higher the pH. Neutral is pH 7.

Pot Still
-
The type of simple still used by moon-shiners.

These have no reflux columns.

Producer Gas
-
A low BTU gas containing methane and

other gases, produced by incomplete combustion of organic
matter.

Pyrolysis-
Bring about chemical change by heating.

Rectifying Column
-
In a two column still, the second column.

Reflux
-
To return the liquid or vapor to a previous point
in

the process to be processed again. Part of the alcohol is
refluxed

through the distillation column.

Renewable Energy
-
Energy produced from renewable resources,

such as the crops grown on America.s farms.

Saccharify
-
To change to sugar.

Sight Gauge
-
A glass tube parallel to the bottom 2. of the

column used to gauge the level of liquid in the column.

Sight Window
-
The glassed-in portion of the reflux columns

that allows visual inspection of the process.

Specific Gravity
-
The ratio of the weight of any volume of

a sub stance to the same volume of water which is taken as a
standard.

Water has a specific gravity of 1.000. Different percentages

of alcohol and water will have a specific gravity of less than
1.000,

depending on the concentration of alcohol.

Starch
-
A carbohydrate made up of long, tightly coiled

chains of glucose molecules.

Starch Test
- When
iodine is added to a solution, it turns

blue if starch is present. If no starch is present, the solution
remains

colorless or turns red-brown, depending on how much iodine

is added.

Stillage
- The water and
high-protein residue left over from

distillation.

Temperature Scale
.A
scale used for temperature designations.

The Fahrenheit scale is used in this book. Another common

scale is the Celsius scale, formerly called Centigrade.

Vaporize
- To change
from a liquid or a solid to a vapor, as

in heating water to steam.

Vaporization Temperature of Ethanol
-
172.9
degrees F.

at sea level.

Vaporization Temperature of Water
- 212 degrees F. at

sea level. Less at higher elevations.

Volatile Liquid
- A
liquid that is easy to vaporize.

Wood Alcohol
- The same
as methanol or methyl alcohol.

See methanol.

Yeast
- A micro organism
that is capable of changing sugar

to alcohol by fermentation.