2,2-Dimethylbutane, trivially known as neohexane, is an
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
with formula C
6H
14 or (H
3C-)
3-C-CH
2-CH
3. It is therefore an
alkane
In organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms tha ...
, indeed the most compact and branched of the
hexane
Hexane () is an organic compound, a straight-chain alkane with six carbon atoms and has the molecular formula C6H14.
It is a colorless liquid, odorless when pure, and with boiling points approximately . It is widely used as a cheap, relatively ...
isomers — the only one with a
quaternary carbon and a
butane
Butane () or ''n''-butane is an alkane with the formula C4H10. Butane is a gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Butane is a highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas that quickly vaporizes at room temperature. The name bu ...
(C
4) backbone.
Synthesis
2,2-Dimethylbutane can be synthesised by the hydroisomerisation of
2,3-dimethylbutane
2,3-Dimethylbutane is an isomer of hexane. It has the chemical formula
In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, u ...
using an acid catalyst.
It can also be synthesised by isomerization of
''n''-pentane in the presence of a catalyst containing combinations of one or more of palladium, platinum, rhodium and rhenium on a matrix of zeolite, alumina, silicon dioxide or other materials. Such reactions create a mixture of final products including isopentane, ''n''-hexane, 3-methylpentane, 2-methylpentane, 2,3-dimethylbutane and 2,2-dimethylbutane. Since the composition of the final mixture is temperature dependant the desired final component can be obtained choice of catalyst and by combinations of temperature control and distillations.
Uses
Neohexane is used as an additive in fuels and in the manufacture of agricultural chemicals.
It is also used in a number of commercial, automobile and home maintenance products, such as adhesives, electronic contact cleaners and upholstery polish sprays.
In laboratory settings, it is commonly used as a probe molecule in techniques which study the active sites of metal catalysts. Such catalysts are used in hydrogen-deuterium exchange, hydrogenolysis, and isomerization reactions. It is well suited to this purpose as 2,2-dimethylbutane contains both an isobutyl and an ethyl group.
See also
*
Methylbutane
Isopentane, also called methylbutane or 2-methylbutane, is a branched-chain saturated hydrocarbon (an alkane) with five carbon atoms, with formula or .
Isopentane is an extremely volatile and extremely flammable liquid at room temperature and pr ...
(isopentane)
*
2-Methylpentane (isohexane)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimethylbutane, 2,2-
Alkanes