Sciencemadness Discussion Board

2-Ethylhexanol synthesis

bluamine - 5-11-2022 at 04:36

Hi everyone!!
Guys do anyone of you have a process to make some 2-Ethylhexanol?

Bedlasky - 5-11-2022 at 17:07

Reduction of 2-ethylhexanoic acid with Li[AlH4] seems the most straightforward way.

UC235 - 5-11-2022 at 21:53

Isolate it from the plasticizer in vinyl gloves.

It's a common "fatty" alcohol used commercially because it can be made in 3 steps from propylene, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen.

Lionel Spanner - 8-11-2022 at 07:06

You could in theory extract octocrylene, octyl salicylate or octyl methoxycinnamate from sunscreen oils, and hydrolyse them to the alcohol with caustic soda.
It would not a be cheap or easy way to obtain it though.

You could also buy ethylhexyl glycerin (a cosmetic preservative) and do an ether hydrolysis on that.

[Edited on 8-11-2022 by Lionel Spanner]

bluamine - 12-11-2022 at 13:23

Quote: Originally posted by UC235  
Isolate it from the plasticizer in vinyl gloves.

It's a common "fatty" alcohol used commercially because it can be made in 3 steps from propylene, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen.

How can that process be done, please?
Quote: Originally posted by Lionel Spanner  
You could in theory extract octocrylene, octyl salicylate or octyl methoxycinnamate from sunscreen oils, and hydrolyse them to the alcohol with caustic soda.
It would not a be cheap or easy way to obtain it though.

You could also buy ethylhexyl glycerin (a cosmetic preservative) and do an ether hydrolysis on that.

[Edited on 8-11-2022 by Lionel Spanner]

Although I don't need a big amount it would be complicated to do this process, Moreover it's cheap like you said. I'm wondering if there are other ingredients in different sunscreen oils that should be supposed to react with caustic soda

Texium - 12-11-2022 at 20:09

Quote: Originally posted by bluamine  
Quote: Originally posted by UC235  
Isolate it from the plasticizer in vinyl gloves.

How can that process be done, please?
There are multiple videos showing the process on YouTube (though their desired product is phthalic acid, and the ethylhexanol is a byproduct). Go forth and seek… and stop expecting spoonfeeding in every post.

Fery - 12-11-2022 at 22:34

Cannot you just buy it? I got it while ago from here:
https://shop.es-drei.de/alkohole/1052/2-ethyl-1-hexanol-min....
Btw I had much more fun with 2-ethylexanoic acid, its ester with ethanol has interesting scent.