A monohydric alcohol—chemical formula CH4O—obtained from the distillation of wood, the incomplete oxidation of natural gas, or by the synthetic combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Highly toxic, methyl alcohol is used as a fuel, in antifreeze, or the manufacture of formaldehyde. It is also a powerful solvent, and is used in printing inks and lacquers when high volatility is important. It is also used as a solvent or a thinner in some screen printing blockout solutions, or to remove stencils from screen fabrics after a print run. Methyl alcohol is also known as methanol.
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