Isobutanol

Isobutanol

Isobutanol extracted from OTC parquet glue.
Names
IUPAC name 2-methylpropan-1-ol
Other names 2-methyl-1-propanol 2-methylpropyl alcohol isobutyl alcohol IBA isopropylcarbinol
Identifiers
Jmol-3D images	Image
SMILES CC(C)CO
Properties
Chemical formula	C4H10O
Molar mass	74.122 g/mol
Appearance	Colorless viscous liquid
Odor	Sweet, penetrating
Density	0.802 g/cm3 (at 20°C)
Melting point	−108 °C (−162 °F; 165 K)
Solubility in water	8.7 mL/100 ml
Solubility	Miscible with acetone, chloroform, ethanol, isopropanol, heptane, hexane, methanol,toluene, xylene
Vapor pressure	9 mmHg (at 20 °C)
Hazards
Safety data sheet	ScienceLab
Flash point	28 °C
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (Median dose)	3.350 mg/kg (rat, oral) 2.460 mg/kg (rabbit, dermal) 720 mg/kg (rat, IP)
Related compounds
Related compounds	Butanol sec-Butanol tert-Butanol
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Isobutanol, also known as 2-methylpropan-1-ol or 2-methyl-1-propanol is an organic chemical compound, with many uses in industry and chemistry. It is an isomer of butanol and has the formula (CH₃)₂(CH)CH₂OH.

Properties

Chemical

Isobutanol will burn in open air, but due to its high flash point of 28 °C, it will only ignite at standard conditions if heated prior.

Physical

Isobutanol is a colorless viscous liquid, with a strong characteristic odor. It is poorly soluble in water (8.7 mL/100 mL), but miscible with many organic solvents such as acetone or ethanol. It has a boiling point of 107.89 °C and a melting point of −108 °C.

Availability

Isobutanol is available at hardware stores as wood paint drying accelerator (acid-curing parquet lacquer/varnish) or as parquet adhesive. The former generally contains HCl, which require neutralization, while the latter does not, but both may have various additives in their composition, so distillation is required to obtain a pure compound.

Preparation

Isobutanol can be prepared by hydrolyzing isobutyl chloride with NaOH, followed by neutralization of base with an excess of sodium bicarbonate, followed by separation, drying with MgSO₄ and lastly distillation.

Isobutanol however is much cheaper to buy that synthesize.

Projects

• Make isobutyl acetate
• Make p-xylene
• Car fuel

Handling

Safety

Isobutanol is the least toxic isomer of butanol. Its strong odor however may cause nausea or dizziness.

Storage

Should be stored in closed bottles away from any heat source.

Disposal

Isobutanol can be safely burned, though due to its high flash point, it should be mixed with a more flammable solvent and then burned. Do this outside.

References

Relevant Sciencemadness threads

• Separation of toluene and isobutanol