isopropyl alcohol

Wiki says that rubbing alcohol can refer to ethyl alcohol (ethanol - booze) or isopropyl alcohol.

Isopropyl alcohol is represented by the chemical formula C3H8O. It's good for dissolving oils (fingerprints, smudges on connectors, sticky stuff, I imagine poison ivy as well)

The vapor pressure is higher than water (at 24° C = 75.2° F it is 40 mmHg compared to 22 mmHg). An interesting note is that in general, a lower boiling point corresponds to a higher vapor pressure; this is consistent with the of 82.3° C, lower than water at 100° C

The vapor is heavier than air. It's also quite flammable; the flash point is a mere 12° C. Since the vapor is what burns, you can light something on fire and the flame doesn't actually touch the object. If you soak a cotton ball in it, it will catch on fire but the cotton ball will be fine. Many videos on youtube show people lighting their hand on fire, since their hand isn't actually burning, though I must warn you that you should never play with fire.



It is less dense than water at 0.786 g/cm³, so it settles on top of the water.

70% is better than higher concentrations at killing things, because the increased amount of water aids in the transport across the cell membrane, where the alcohol denatures the proteins necessary for bacterial metabolism. The water must be permitted to evaporate. Other things make better disinfectants.