What are the properties of an alcohol thermometer?
Alcohol thermometers are used for temperatures down to the freezing point of alcohol; minus 110F or minus 79C. Mercury freezes at minus 39, which is near enough the same in both F and C. It often gets colder than this in some places. Alcohol boils at 78C or 172F but mercury boild at 357C or 675F, so mercury thermometers are more useful for high temperatures, as in cooking. The alcohol is ethanol, like you drink, but with some red dye added to make it easily visible.
