Is it permissible to use ethanol (which is an intoxicant) in scientific research and experiments to clean tools or for the purpose of the experiment itself?

Scholars have differed on the use of alcohol for purification, sterilization, and perfumes:

The first opinion: Impermissibility; because alcohol is an intoxicant, and intoxicants are impure according to the majority of scholars, and must be completely avoided. The Permanent Committee for Issuing Fatwas adopted this opinion.

The second opinion: Permissibility; because intoxicants are not physically impure, and what is prohibited is only their consumption. Some believe that alcohol does not intoxicate on its own, and only becomes an intoxicant after mixing and distillation, and that pure alcohol is prohibited due to its harm, not its intoxicating effect. Among those who permitted it are Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen and the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences.

Conclusion: The use of alcohol for sterilization and purification is a matter of dispute, based on the reality of alcohol, its intoxicating effect, and the impurity of intoxicants. If an alternative is available, it is more cautious.