[smithbryanf2]

Hi guys, I just mixed ethanol (from everclear 151 proof) and sulfuric acid(concentrated rooto ace hardware mix).  I poured a little of each into a beaker and wasn't expecting anything to happen, however, it did.  Immediately, a whitish gas formed, and the beaker became hot.  my question is, what exactly happened?  this didn't produce ethylene, did it?  I was under the impression that for that to happen, the temperature of the mixture had to be much higher.

Thanks in advance!

[Guitarmaniac86]

You most likely made diethyl ether. Dont do it again. From what you have posted, you are lucky things didnt go wrong fast.

[Arkcon]

Your reagent sources are likewise very poor quality.  You may have accomplished nothing more that forming a mist of your reagents from the heat of solution.  Everclear contains too much water -- 191 means at least 5% water, and maybe more.  So that's interfering with reactions.  The sulfuric acid sold in hardware stores for plumbing cleaning is very impure, and likely has significant water contamination, well.

[smithbryanf2]

Could you please explain to me what exactly the gas was that formed?

[smithbryanf2]

Also, seems like for the temperature to have risen a reaction must have occurred.

[Guitarmaniac86]

Not necessarily since adding an acid to water causes heating. (Although this can be considered a reaction in a very loose sense).

[Intanjir]

Generally a 'white gas' is just a fine mist of colorless liquid droplets floating in air.

Arkcon thinks you just evaporated some of the ethanol/water thanks to the heat of mixing.
This makes sense: Ethanol is pretty easy to vaporize.
It then began to condense immediately since the air in the beaker was quite a bit colder, thus forming a mist.

I guess I would be a little surprised if the heat of mixing with water would be to blame since 5% is kinda small.
My suspicion is that it would mostly be from the heat of mixing between pure ethanol and concentrated sulfuric, but I dunno how to look that number up.