Ethyl Alcohol. It is a product derived from the fermentation of vegetable substances containing sugars and starches: the water necessary for the fermentation becomes eliminated through the distillation that furnishes this alcohol, and the distillation may be repeated many times to obtain a more rectified alcohol, that is without water. Ethyl alcohol is a very volatile liquid and a good solvent for resins, varnishes and bitumen. It finds use both in the pictorial technique and in restoration. In the first case, it may be utilized, among several ways, as a de-acidifier of linseed oil, or in watercolour, it may be used to enable a more rapid drying of the colours. In restoration, it is used as a solvent for varnishes, all of the soft, natural resins and some synthetic resins: still today, it remains one of the most known and used solvents for the cleaning of paintings and for its rare toxicity (in elevated concentrations, it may provoke anesthetic effects and may damage the liver).