Can I use denatured ethanol when precipitating nucleic acids?

Using denatured ethanol for precipitating nucleic acids should be avoided because the additives (e.g. methanol) in denatured ethanol can potentially interfere with subsequent applications. The specific additives can vary among producers, making it challenging to predict their effects accurately. For nucleic acid precipitation, it is generally recommended to use molecular biology-grade ethanol or isopropanol. These reagents are free from additives that can potentially interfere with nucleic acid purity and applications, like PCR or sequencing. However, when working with fluorescently labeled nucleic acids, it is recommended to avoid using absolute ethanol. This precaution is taken to prevent background fluorescence that may arise from any residual benzene present in absolute ethanol.