PRODUCTS

2-BUTOXYETHANOL

2-Butoxyethanol is an organic compound with the chemical formula BuOC2H4OH (Bu = CH3CH2CH2CH2).
2-Butoxyethanol has a sweet, ether-like odor, as 2-Butoxyethanol derives from the family of glycol ethers, and is a butyl ether of ethylene glycol.
As a relatively nonvolatile, inexpensive solvent, 2-Butoxyethanol is used in many domestic and industrial products because of its properties as a surfactant.

CAS Number: 111-76-2
EC Number: 203-905-0
IUPAC Name: 2-Butoxyethanol
Chemical Formula: C6H14O2

Other names: 111-76-2, Butoxyethanol, Butyl glycol, Butyl cellosolve, ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER, Ethylene glycol butyl ether, n-Butoxyethanol, Ethanol, 2-butoxy-, Butyl oxitol, Dowanol EB, 2-butoxyethan-1-ol, Glycol butyl ether, Glycol ether eb, 3-Oxa-1-heptanol, Gafcol EB, 2-Butoxy-1-ethanol, 2-n-Butoxyethanol, Jeffersol eb, Butyl cellu-sol, O-Butyl ethylene glycol, Ektasolve EB, Chimec NR, Glycol monobutyl ether, 2-Butoxy ethanol, 2-Butossi-etanolo, 2-Butoxy-aethanol, Butylcelosolv, Butylglycol, Butoksyetylowy alkohol, Ethylene glycol n-butyl ether, EGMBE, Monobutyl glycol ether, Monobutyl ether of ethylene glycol, Ethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, n-Butyl Cellosolve, butylcellosolve, Butyl monoether glycol, Butylcelosolv [Czech], Caswell No. 121, beta-Butoxyethanol, Monobutyl ethylene glycol ether, Minex BDH, Ethylene glycol, monobutyl ether, Butylglycol [French,German], 2-Butoxy-aethanol [German], ethyleneglycol monobutyl ether, 2-Hydroxyethyl n-butyl ether, 2-Butossi-etanolo [Italian], 2-Butoxyethan(ol-d), NSC 60759, CCRIS 5985, HSDB 538, Glycol ether eb acetate, Butoksyetylowy alkohol [Polish], Eter monobutilico del etilenglicol, I0P9XEZ9WV, EINECS 203-905-0, UN2369, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 011501, Ether monobutylique de l'ethyleneglycol, BRN 1732511, AI3-0993, DTXSID1024097, CHEBI:63921, AI3-09903, BuOCH2CH2OH, Eter monobutilico del etilenglicol [Spanish], NSC-60759, Ether monobutylique de l'ethyleneglycol [French], BUTYL CELLOSOLVE [MI], DTXCID904097, 2-BUTOXYETHANOL [IARC], 2-BUTOXYETHANOL [VANDF], EC 203-905-0, EC 500-012-0, Butylcelosolv (Czech), Butylglycol (French,German), ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONO-N-BUTYL ETHER [HSDB], 2-BUTOXYETHANOL (IARC), 2-BUTOXY-AETHANOL (GERMAN), 2-BUTOSSI-ETANOLO (ITALIAN), BUTOKSYETYLOWY ALKOHOL (POLISH), Eter monobutilico del etilenglicol (Spanish), Ether monobutylique de L'ethyleneglycol (French), nButoxyethanol, 2butoxyethanol, Butyl cellusol, 2Butoxy1ethanol, 3Oxa1heptanol, PolySolv EB, Ethanol, 2butoxy, Caswell No 121, OButyl ethylene glycol, GLYCOL EB, Butyl cellosolve (OSHA), Ethylene glycol nbutyl ether, BUTOXYETHANOL [INCI], ETHYLENE GLYCOL N-BUTYL, 2-Butoxyethanol (ACGIH:OSHA), BUTYLGLYCOL (FRENCH, GERMAN), USEPA/OPP Pesticide Code: 011501, A13-0993, 203-905-0, 500-012-0, 686-062-5, 937-444-8, EGBE, BUCS, 2-Butoxy-ethanol, 9004-77-7, .beta.-Butoxyethanol, Butyglycol, 2-n-Butoxy-1-ethanol, Ether alcohol, Butyl icinol, 2-Butoxyethanol (ethylene glycol monobutyl ether), Butyl 2-hydroxyethyl ether, 2-BUTOXY(ETHANOL-13C2), Ethyleneglycol-monobutyl ether, g lycol ether eb, 2 -Butoxyethanol, CAS-111-76-2, SMR001253761, Butoxyethanol, 2-, Ektasolve EB solvent, Ek tasolve EB solvent, UNII-I0P9XEZ9WV, n-butoxyethanol sodium salt, Butyloxitol, Ethylene glycol mono butyl ether, EB Solvent, 3-oxaheptan-1-ol, 2-(n-Butoxy)ethanol, 2-(1-Butyloxy) ethanol, Aethylenglycolmonobuthylaether, 2-Butoxy-aethanol(GERMAN), SCHEMBL15712, MLS002174253, MLS002454362, WLN: Q2O4, Butyglycol(FRENCH, GERMAN), Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE)(2-Butoxyet), ethylene glycol-monobutyl ether, CHEMBL284588, QSPL 003, 2-BUTOXY ETHANOL (ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER), Ethylene glycol butyl ether, 99%, 2-butoxyethanol (butyl cellosolve), NSC60759, Tox21_202399, Tox21_300123, MFCD00002884, Ethylene glycol butyl ether, >=99%, AKOS009028760, NCGC00090683-01, NCGC00090683-02, NCGC00090683-03, NCGC00090683-04, NCGC00090683-05, NCGC00254083-01, NCGC00259948-01, LS-13220, B0698, NS00003129, EN300-19317, C19355, Ethylene glycol butyl ether, analytical standard, Q421557, Ethylene glycol butyl ether, for synthesis, 99.0%, Ethylene glycol butyl ether, SAJ first grade, >=99.0%

2-Butoxyethanol is a known respiratory irritant and can be acutely toxic, but animal studies did not find 2-Butoxyethanol to be mutagenic, and no studies suggest 2-Butoxyethanol is a human carcinogen.
A study of 13 classroom air contaminants conducted in Portugal reported a statistically significant association with increased rates of nasal obstruction and a positive association below the level of statistical significance with a higher risk of obese asthma and increased child BMI.

2-Butoxyethanol is a primary alcohol that is ethanol in which one of the methyl hydrogens is replaced by a butoxy group.
A high-boiling (171℃) colourless liquid, 2-Butoxyethanol is used as a solvent for paints and inks, as well as in some dry cleaning solutions.
2-Butoxyethanol has a role as a protic solvent.
2-Butoxyethanol is a primary alcohol and a glycol ether.

2-Butoxyethanol is a natural product found in Bidens pilosa and Vitex agnus-castus with data available.
Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether appears as a colorless liquid with a mild, pleasant odor.
2-Butoxyethanol is Less dense than water.
2-Butoxyethanol has a Flash point of 160°F.

2-Butoxyethanol Irritates skin and eyes and may be toxic by ingestion.
2-Butoxyethanol is Used as a solvent and to make paints and varnish
2-Butoxyethanol is versatile solvent of product obtains by reaction betweeen ethylene oxide and n-Butanol.
2-Butoxyethanol is chemically known as a Butyl Glycol, 1-n-Butoxy-2-hydroxyethane, n-butyl (2-hydroxyethyl) ether.

Molecular Weight: 118.17
XLogP3: 0.8
Hydrogen Bond Donor Count: 1
Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count: 2
Rotatable Bond Count: 5
Exact Mass: 118.099379685

Monoisotopic Mass: 118.099379685
Topological Polar Surface Area: 29.5 Å²
Heavy Atom Count: 8
Complexity: 37.5
Covalently-Bonded Unit Count: 1
Compound Is Canonicalized: Yes

PRODUCTION OF 2-Butoxyethanol:
2-Butoxyethanol is commonly obtained through two processes; the ethoxylation reaction of butanol and ethylene oxide in the presence of a catalyst:

C2H4O + C4H9OH → C4H9OC2H4OH
or the etherification of butanol with 2-chloroethanol.
2-Butoxyethanol can be obtained in the laboratory by performing a ring opening of 2-propyl-1,3-dioxolane with boron trichloride.
2-Butoxyethanol is often produced industrially by combining ethylene glycol and butyraldehyde in a Parr reactor with palladium on carbon.

In 2006, the European production of butyl glycol ethers amounted to 181 kilotons, of which approximately 50% (90 kt/a) was 2-Butoxyethanol.
World production is estimated to be 200 to 500 kt/a, of which 75% is for paints and coatings and 18% for metal cleaners and household cleaners.
In the US, it is considered a high production volume chemical because more than 100 million pounds of this chemical are produced per year.

PREPARATION METHOD OF 2-Butoxyethanol:
First, butanol was added to the boron trifluoride-ether complex, and ethylene oxide was introduced at 25-30 ° C, and then the temperature was automatically raised to about 80 ° C to complete the addition reaction.
The reaction product is neutralized and distilled to obtain a crude product after recovering butanol, and then fractionated to obtain a finished product.

USES OF 2-Butoxyethanol:
2-Butoxyethanol is a glycol ether with modest surfactant properties, which can also be used as a mutual solvent.

Commercial uses:
2-Butoxyethanol is a solvent for paints and surface coatings, as well as cleaning products and inks.
Products that contain 2-Butoxyethanol include acrylic resin formulations, asphalt release agents, firefighting foam, leather protectors, oil spill dispersants, degreaser applications, photographic strip solutions, whiteboard and glass cleaners, liquid soaps, cosmetics, dry cleaning solutions, lacquers, varnishes, herbicides, latex paints, enamels, printing paste, and varnish removers, and silicone caulk.

Products containing this compound are commonly found at construction sites, automobile repair shops, print shops, and facilities that produce sterilizing and cleaning products.
2-Butoxyethanol is the main ingredient of many home, commercial and industrial cleaning solutions.
Since the molecule has both polar and non-polar ends, 2-Butoxyethanol is useful for removing both polar and non-polar substances, like grease and oils.
2-Butoxyethanol is also approved by the U.S. FDA to be used as direct and indirect food additives, which include antimicrobial agents, defoamers, stabilizers, and adhesives.

In the petroleum industry:
2-Butoxyethanol is commonly produced for the oil industry because of its surfactant properties.

In the petroleum industry, 2-Butoxyethanol is a component of fracturing fluids, drilling stabilizers, and oil slick dispersants for both water-based and oil-based hydraulic fracturing.
When liquid is pumped into the well, the fracturing fluids are pumped under extreme pressure, so 2-Butoxyethanol is used to stabilize them by lowering the surface tension.
As a surfactant, 2-Butoxyethanol absorbs at the oil-water interface of the fracture.
2-Butoxyethanol is also used to facilitate the release of the gas by preventing congealing.

2-Butoxyethanol is also used as a crude oil–water coupling solvent for more general oil well workovers.
Because of its surfactant properties, 2-Butoxyethanol is a major constituent (30–60% w/w) in the oil spill dispersant Corexit 9527, which was widely used in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

2-Butoxyethanol is employed primarily in the production of lacquers based on nitrocellulose, cellulose ethers and chlorinated rubber.
Small quantities are also used combination lacquers.
Solutions of nitrocellulose in 2-Butoxyethanol may be diluted with large quantity of white spirit, aromatic hydrocarbons or ethanol without adversely affecting the film property.
Small quantities of 2-Butoxyethanol improves both the flow and dilution capacity of the lacquers and also enhance the gloss of the resultant lacquer films.

Since 2-Butoxyethanol dries lacquer coatings very slowly, it is ideal for the preparation of brushing lacquers based on cellulose esters, cellulose ethers and chlorinated rubber.
Even quite small additions of 2-Butoxyethanol to alkyd, the viscosity of the lacquer solution considerably reduce, thereby improving the brush-out property of such lacquers.
2-Butoxyethanol is a good intermediate solvent for use in mineral oil emulsion.
Even small quantities of 2-Butoxyethanol can disperse and stabilize such emulsion quite effectively.

2-Butoxyethanol is widely used as a solvent in protective surface coatings such as spray lacquers, quick-dry lacquers, enamels, varnishes, and latex paints.
2-Butoxyethanol is also used as an ingredient in paint thinners and strippers, varnish removers, agricultural chemicals, herbicides, silicon caulks, cutting oils, and hydraulic fluids.
2-Butoxyethanol has other uses in metal cleaners, fabric dyes and inks, industrial and household cleaners (as a degreaser), and dry-cleaning compounds.

Key Areas of use:
2-Butoxyethanol is A solvent in paints, acrylic resin formulations, varnishes, lacquer and inks
2-Butoxyethanol reduces the viscosity of alkyd resin paints.
2-Butoxyethanol is flow improver for urea, melamine or phenolic stoving finishes.
2-Butoxyethanol is Used in water soluble solvent degreasers and cleaning products.
2-Butoxyethanol is An oil spill dispersant.

2-Butoxyethanol is Used in hydraulic fluids.
2-Butoxyethanol is Asphalt release agent
2-Butoxyethanol is Photographic strip solution
2-Butoxyethanol is Used in Firefighting foam.
2-Butoxyethanol is used In herbicides.
2-Butoxyethanol is used In the production of butyl glycol acetate.

With regards to environmental issues, 2-Butoxyethanol is decomposes in the presence of air within a few days and has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant.
2-Butoxyethanol is It is not known to bioaccumulate.

2-Butoxyethanol usage is dominated by the paint industry which consumes approximately 75 % of all the 2-Butoxyethanol produced.
This is because 2-Butoxyethanol is a low volatility solvent and it can therefore both extend the drying times of coatings and improve their flow.

Other applications include use as a solvent in printing inks and textile dyes and as a component of hydraulic fluids.
2-Butoxyethanol is also a component of drilling and cutting oils and is a major component of Corexit 9527, which is an oil spill dispersant product.

2-Butoxyethanol is also a chemical intermediate and, as such, is a starting material in the production of butyl glycol acetate which is, itself, an excellent solvent.
2-Butoxyethanol is also a starting material in the production of plasticisers by the reaction of phthalic anhydride.

2-Butoxyethanol is also something that is used regularly in most households as it is a component of many home cleaning products.
2-Butoxyethanol provides very good cleaning power for domestic cleaning products and also provides the characteristic odour that we associate with many of these products.
2-Butoxyethanol also plays the same role in some industrial and commercial surface cleaners.

2-Butoxyethanol is used in coatings and cleaner applications, including many in
consumer markets.
2-Butoxyethanol is used for:
Active solvent for solvent-based coatings
Coalescent for industrial water-based coatings
Coupling agent for architectural water-borne coatings

Coupling agent and solvent in household and industrial cleaners, rust removers, hard surface
cleaners and disinfectants
Primary solvent in solvent-based silk screen printing inks
Coupling agent for resins and dyes in waterbased printing inks
Solvent for agricultural pesticides

SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT 2-Butoxyethanol:
2-Butoxyethanol has a low acute toxicity, with LD50 of 2.5 g/kg in rats.
Laboratory tests by the U.S. National Toxicology Program have shown that only sustained exposure to high concentrations (100–500 ppm) of 2-Butoxyethanol can cause adrenal tumors in animals.
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) reports that 2-Butoxyethanol is carcinogenic in rodents.

These rodent tests may not directly translate to carcinogenicity in humans, as the observed mechanism of cancer involves the rodents' forestomach, which humans lack.
OSHA does not regulate 2-Butoxyethanol as a carcinogen.
2-Butoxyethanol has not been shown to penetrate shale rock in a study conducted by Manz.

Disposal and degradation:
2-Butoxyethanol can be disposed of by incineration.
It was shown that disposal occurs faster in the presence of semiconductor particles.
2-Butoxyethanol usually decomposes in the presence of air within a few days by reacting with oxygen radicals.
It has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant, nor is it known to bio-accumulate.
2-Butoxyethanol biodegrades in soils and water, with a half life of 1–4 weeks in aquatic environments.

Human exposure:
2-Butoxyethanol most commonly enters the human body system through dermal absorption, inhalation, or oral consumption of the chemical.
The ACGIH threshold limit value (TLV) for worker exposure is 20 ppm, which is well above the odor detection threshold of 0.4 ppm.
Blood or urine concentrations of 2-Butoxyethanol or the metabolite 2-butoxyacetic acid may be measured using chromatographic techniques.
A biological exposure index of 200 mg 2-butoxyacetic acid per g creatinine has been established in an end-of-shift urine specimen for U.S. employees.
2-Butoxyethanol and its metabolites fall to undetectable levels in urine after about 30 hours in men.

Animal studies:
Harmful effects have been observed in nonhuman mammals exposed to high levels of 2-Butoxyethanol.
Developmental effects were seen in a study that exposed pregnant Fischer 344 rats, a type of laboratory rat, and New Zealand white rabbits to varying doses of 2-Butoxyethanol.
At 100 ppm (483 mg/m3) and 200 ppm (966 mg/m3) exposure, statistically significant increases were observed in the number of litters with skeletal defects.
Additionally, 2-Butoxyethanol was associated with a significant decrease in maternal body weight, uterine weight, and number of total implants.
2-Butoxyethanol is metabolized in mammals by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.

Neurological effects have also been observed in animals exposed to 2-Butoxyethanol.
Fischer 344 rats exposed to 2-Butoxyethanol at concentrations of 523 ppm and 867 ppm experienced decreased coordination.
Male rabbits showed a loss of coordination and equilibrium after exposure to 400 ppm of 2-Butoxyethanol for two days.

When exposed to 2-Butoxyethanol in drinking water, both F344/N rats and B63F1 mice showed negative effects.
The range of exposure for the two species was between 70 mg/kg body weight per day to 1300 mg/kg body weight per day.
Decreased body weight and water consumption were seen for both species.
Rats had reduced red blood cell counts and thymus weights, as well as lesions in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

Regulation in Canada:
Environment and Health Canada recommended that 2-Butoxyethanol be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).
Under these regulations, products containing 2-Butoxyethanol are to be diluted below a certain concentration.
Only those in which the user performs the required dilution are required to include it on labelling information.

Regulation in the US:
2-Butoxyethanol is listed in California as a hazardous substance and the state sets an 8 hour average airborne concentration exposure limit at 25 ppm, and in California employers are required to inform employees when they are working with it.

It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as "an indirect and direct food additive for use as an antimicrobial agent, defoamer, stabilizer and component of adhesives",and also "may be used to wash or assist in the peeling of fruits and vegetables" and "may be safely used as components of articles intended for use in packaging, transporting & holding food".

After its deletion from a UN list of substances requiring special toxicity labeling in 1994, and a subsequent petition by the American Chemistry Council, 2-Butoxyethanol was removed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of hazardous air pollutants in 2004.
The safety of products containing 2-Butoxyethanol as normally used is defended by the industry trade groups the American Chemistry Council and the Soap and Detergent Association.