Using activated char-coal to purify solvents

[Loki Laufey]

I am wondering if putting activated char-coal into solvents like naptha, ethanol or isopropanol is going to absorb any impurities they might have. Getting medicine grade solvents is hard here and distillation does not seem feasible, so I am wondering if the cheap charcoal way is going to do anything for purity..

Also what about GBL? Does activated charcoal do anything for eliminating bad stuff out of GBL?

 

[TheDEA.org]

Many organic substances, including most solvents and probably GBL, will be adsorbed by activated carbon.

If you want high-purity solvents you're probably either going to have to buy them that way or distill them.

 

[death4funandprofit]

you can in fact run ethanol through an activated charcoal filter, stuff a bunch in a pvc pipe or buy a brita water filter(you need to run it a few times through the brita) and run some cheap vodka through and it will take a lot of the bite away but i am not sure if will improve its usefulness as a solvent. be sure you run a lot of purified water through until it runs clear or else youl get tasty charcoal dust in your vodka.