2-Butanol, or ''sec''-butanol, is an organic compound with

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

C H₃CH( OH)CH₂CH₃. Its

structural isomer In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a chemical compound, compound is another compound whose molecule has the same number of atoms of each element, but with logically distinct chemical bond, b ...

s are

1-butanol 1-Butanol, also known as butan-1-ol or ''n''-butanol, is a primary alcohol with the chemical formula C4H9OH and a linear structure. Isomers of 1-butanol are isobutanol, butan-2-ol and ''tert''-butanol. The unmodified term butanol usually refers t ...

. isobutanol, and ''tert''-butanol. 2-Butanol is chiral and thus can be obtained as either of two stereoisomers designated as (''R'')-(−)-2-butanol and (''S'')-(+)-2-butanol. It is normally encountered as a 1:1 mixture of the two stereoisomers — a racemic mixture. This secondary alcohol is a flammable, colorless liquid that is soluble in three parts water and completely miscible with organic solvents. It is produced on a large scale, primarily as a precursor to the industrial solvent

methyl ethyl ketone Butanone, also known as methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), is an organic compound with the formula CH3C(O)CH2CH3. This colourless liquid ketone has a sharp, sweet odor reminiscent of acetone. It is produced industrially on a large scale, but occurs in nat ...

Manufacture and applications

2-Butanol is manufactured industrially by the

hydration Hydration may refer to: * Hydrate, a substance that contains water * Hydration enthalpy, energy released through hydrating a substance * Hydration reaction, a chemical addition reaction where a hydroxyl group and proton are added to a compound * ...

1-butene 1-Butene (or 1-Butylene) is the organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CH=CH2. It is a colorless gas that is easily condensed to give a colorless liquid. It is classified as a linear alpha-olefin. It is one of the isomers of butene (butylene). I ...

2-butene But-2-ene is an acyclic alkene with four carbon atoms. It is the simplest alkene exhibiting ''cis''/''trans''-isomerism (also known as (''E''/''Z'')-isomerism); that is, it exists as two geometric isomers ''cis''-but-2-ene ((''Z'')-but-2-ene) and ...

: :

Sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

is used as a catalyst for this conversion.. In the laboratory it can be prepared via Grignard reaction by reacting ethylmagnesium bromide with

acetaldehyde Acetaldehyde (IUPAC systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3 CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is a colorless liquid or gas, boiling near room temperature. It is one of the mos ...

in dried diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran. Although some 2-butanol is used as a solvent, it is mainly converted to butanone (methyl ethyl ketone, MEK), an important industrial solvent and found in many domestic cleaning agents and paint removers. Though most paint removers have ceased using MEK in their products due to health concerns and new laws. Volatile esters of 2-butanol have pleasant aromas and are used in small amounts as perfumes or in artificial flavors.

Solubility

The listed solubility of 2-butanol is often incorrect, including some of the most well-known references such as the '' Merck Index'', the ''

CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics The ''CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics'' is a comprehensive one-volume reference resource for science research. First published in 1914, it is currently () in its 103rd edition, published in 2022. It is sometimes nicknamed the "Rubber Bible ...

'', and ''Lange's Handbook of Chemistry''. Even the International Programme on Chemical Safety lists the wrong solubility. This widespread error originated because of Beilstein's ''Handbuch der Organischen Chemie'' (''Handbook of Organic Chemistry''). This work cites a false solubility of 12.5 g/100 g water. Many other sources used this solubility, which has snowballed into a widespread error in the industrial world. The correct data (35.0 g/100 g at 20 °C, 29 g/100 g at 25 °C, and 22 g/100 g at 30 °C) were first published in 1886 by Alexejew and then similar data was reported by other scientists including Dolgolenko and Dryer in 1907 and 1913, respectively.

Precautions

Like other butanols, 2-butanol has low acute toxicity. The is 4400 mg/kg (rat, oral). Several explosions have been reported during the conventional distillation of 2-butanol, apparently due to the buildup of

peroxides In chemistry, peroxides are a group of compounds with the structure , where R = any element. The group in a peroxide is called the peroxide group or peroxo group. The nomenclature is somewhat variable. The most common peroxide is hydrogen p ...

with the boiling point higher than that of pure alcohol (and therefore concentrating in the still pot during distillation). As alcohols, unlike ethers, are not widely known to be capable of forming peroxide impurities, the danger is likely to be overlooked. 2-Butanol is in Class B Peroxide Forming Chemicals

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butanol, 2- Alkanols Alcohol solvents Secondary alcohols