function of contact time with absolute ethanol. The tests were conducted
in a cooled water bath (PolyScience, USA) at 0 C containing
a 40% (w/v) ethylene glycol solution. The temperature was measured
by a precision digital thermometer (Omega 5831, USA).
The first test was conducted by a single application of 9.0 mL of
absolute ethanol in 1.0 mL of deionized water to a final ethanol
concentration of 90%. In the second test, the addition of absolute
ethanol in 1.0 mL of deionized water was performed by three consecutive
applications to obtain ethanol concentrations of 20%
(t = 0 min), 50% (t = 1 min) and finally 90% (t = 2 min). The temperature
variation with time was monitored every 15 s, and the total
elapsed time for both tests was 15 min.