2-butoxyethanol – Butyl glycol

Butyl glycol is known as BG, 2-butoxyethanol, glycol monobutyl ether and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. It is a glycol ether with moderate surfactant properties, which can be used as a solvent. In fact, butyl glycol is a natural alcohol that is extracted from petroleum. This compound is a colorless, water-soluble liquid that has a sweet, ether-like odor because it comes from the glycol ether family, and is an ether butyrate of ethylene glycol.

 

What is 2-butoxyethanol?

Since their use in the 1930s, glycol ethers are solvents that dissolve both water-soluble and hydrophobic materials. Glycol ethers consist of two components, alcohol, and ether. According to the nature of alcohol, molecules of this class can be divided into two groups: E series and P series, which correspond to ethylene and propylene, respectively. Glycol ethers are chosen for specific purposes such as solubility, flammability, and volatility.

2-Butoxyethanol is miscible in water and dissolves in most organic solvents. This substance is known as a relatively non-volatile and inexpensive solvent. Also, due to its properties as a surfactant, it is used in many household and industrial products.

In sensitive individuals, 2-butoxyethanol may be irritating to the skin, eyes, or nasal passages, but it is the least irritating of the glycols. In fact, this glycol is not associated with any specific organ toxicity and, unlike ethylene glycol, is not considered carcinogenic.

 

Table of technical specifications of 2-butoxyethanol

Product Name	2-Butoxyethanol
The chemical formula of butyl glycol	C6H14O2
Molecular mass	118.17 g/mol
Appearance	colorless transparent liquid
Density	0.890 g/cm3
Melting point	-77 °C
Boiling point	171 °C
Viscosity at 25°C	2.9 cP

 

Application and uses of butyl glycol (2-butoxyethanol)

• in personal care products such as: shampoo, conditioner, lotion, anti-aging and hydrating serums, masks, cosmetics and sunscreen
• Suitable solvent for paints and surface coatings and acrylic resins, latex paints, enamel, and printing paste.
• 2-butoxyethanol is the main household, commercial, and industrial cleaning compound. So in cleaning products, whiteboard cleaners, liquid soaps, dry cleaning solutions and inks
• Asphalt release agents, fire extinguishing foams, leather protectors and oil spill diffusers
• Applications of degreasing
• in photographic tape solutions
• herbicide
• Production of firefighting floor
• In construction sites, car repair shops, printing houses
• Because this molecule has both non-polar and polar ends, 2-butoxyethanol is useful for removing polar and non-polar substances such as oil.
• It is used in the food and drug industry as direct and indirect food additives, which include antimicrobial agents, foaming agents, stabilizers, and adhesives.
• In the oil industry

 

Application of 2-butoxyethanol in the cosmetics industry

Among the properties of 2-butoxyethanol, which made this product popular in the cosmetics and health industry, are its viscosity reduction, conditioning, and solvent:

• Viscosity-lowering agent: “Viscosity” is a word that refers to the stickiness of things, especially in a chemical compound. 2-butoxyethanol makes other ingredients stick together and gives cosmetics and personal care products and liquids a uniform consistency.
• Conditioner: Conditioners are substances that add a layer of softness or texture to your hair or skin. They are also called humectants, or in the case of 2-butoxyethanol, wetting agents. Butylene glycol softens the skin and hair by covering the surface of your cells.
• It is a solvent: Solvents are substances that maintain a liquid consistency in a chemical compound. They contribute to effective substances that can be dissolved. 2-Butoxyethanol  keeps the ingredients in cosmetic products dispersed and in their desired state for use.

 

Application of butyl glycol in the oil and gas and petrochemical industry

2-Butoxyethanol is usually produced for the oil industry due to its surfactant properties. Butoxyethanols are fracturing fluids, drilling stabilizers, and soft oil dispersants for oil and water-based hydraulic fracturing. Liquids are pumped under high pressure, so 2-botoxyethanol is used to stabilize them by reducing surface tension. As a surfactant, butoxyethanol adsorbs on oil and water.

2-Butoxyethanol is also used to prevent gas build-up and facilitate gas release. It is also used as an oil/crude water coupling solvent for most general oil well applications. Due to its surfactant properties, it is a major ingredient in oil spill dispersants, which is widely used in the aftermath of oil spills.

 

2-butoxyethanol production

2-Butoxyethanol is usually obtained through two processes. Ethoxylation reaction of butanol and ethylene oxide in the presence of a catalyst:

C₂H₄O + C₄H₉OH → C₄H₉OC₂H₄OH

This substance is often produced industrially by combining ethylene glycol and butyraldehyde in a reactor with palladium on carbon.

 

What is the difference between propylene glycol and 2-butoxyethanol?

Propylene glycol contains 3 carbon atoms, while 2-butoxyethanol is slightly larger and contains 4 carbon atoms. In glycols, alcohol groups are attached to different carbons. The less commonly used propanediol is sometimes called propylene glycol.

 

Safety information and storage conditions of butyl glycol

2-butoxyethanol tanks should be stored in a dry, cool, and well-ventilated place. Containers for this organic solvent should be kept away from heat and sunlight. Also, in the warehouses of chemical materials, these materials must be kept away from the tanks of other chemical compounds such as acids or oxidizing materials. 2-Butoxyethanol is a dangerous compound that produces toxic fumes. Therefore, the corresponding warehouse must be equipped with firefighting and fire extinguishing equipment.

All personnel who are in contact with 2-Butoxyethanol must use gloves and special work clothes when working. Inhalation of toxic vapors from this chemical solvent irritates the respiratory system, so it is recommended that people use a mask.

 

 

Please contact our experts at Iran Petroleum for advice and purchase of products.