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ETBE (ETHYL TERT.-BUTYL ETHER)


EC / List no.: 211-309-7
CAS no.: 637-92-3
Mol. formula: C6H14O

ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether), also known as ethyl tert-butyl ether, is commonly used as an oxygenate gasoline additive in the production of gasoline from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) offers equal or greater air quality benefits than ethanol, while being technically and logistically less challenging. 
Unlike ethanol, ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) does not induce evaporation of gasoline, which is one of the causes of smog, and does not absorb moisture from the atmosphere.

Production
Ethyl tert-butyl ether is manufactured industrially by the acidic etherification of isobutylene with ethanol at a temperature of 30–110 °C and a pressure of 0,8–1,3 MPa. 
The reaction is carried out with an acidic ion-exchange resin as a catalyst.

Suitable reactors are fixed-bed reactors such as tube bundle or circulation reactors in which the reflux can be cooled optionally.

Ethanol, produced by fermentation and distillation, is more expensive than methanol, which is derived from natural gas. Therefore, MTBE, made from methanol is cheaper than ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether), made from ethanol.


Tert-butyl ethyl ether is an ether having ethyl and tert-butyl as the two alkyl components. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an engine fuel additive to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide and soot. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) has a role as a fuel additive. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is an ether and a volatile organic compound.

ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is a natural product found in Tuber borchii with data available.

An alternative gasoline additive to decrease carbon monoxide emissions


Industry Uses    
- Fuels and fuel additives

Consumer Uses
- Fuels and related products


General Manufacturing Information
Industry Processing Sectors
-Petroleum lubricating oil and grease manufacturing

In the 1990s, the production of other fuel oxygenates began, with the appearance of ethyl tertiary-butyl ether, CAS RN 637- 92-3 (ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether)), first produced in France in 1992, and tertiary-amyl methyl ether, CAS RN 994-05-8 (TAME). 
To their number others have been added, such as diisopropyl ether, CAS RN 108-20-3 (DIPE) and, most recently, tertiary-amyl ethyl ether, CAS RN 919-94-8 (TAEE), which is being produced in Germany, however, the use of these oxygenates is currently small scale. 
Alcohols, such as ethanol, CAS RN 64-17-5 (EtOH) and methanol, may also be used as fuel oxygenates, but methanol is not used as such, although it is used in China as a liquid fuel for passenger cars and for synthesis of dimethyl ether as an alternative to diesel fuel for trucks and buses. 
Ethers have the advantage over alcohols in currently designed engines because alcohols in petrol tend to make the blend very volatile and water soluble, possibly creating problems in the fueldistribution system and vehicle engine. 
Perhaps the larger-scale use of ethanol in fuel oxygenation is in the production of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) or coblending with ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether).


ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is a colourless to light yellow liquid at a temperature range of -94 to 72.6 °C. ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is soluble in ethanol, ethyl ether, and water. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) has a strong, highly objectionable odor and taste at relatively low concentrations. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is highly flammable and reacts with strong oxidizing agents. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is stable when stored at room temperature in tightly closed containers.


Uses:
Gasoline additive. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is synthesized from ethanol and isobutene and is used primarily as an oxygenate that is added to gasoline to improve the automobile exhaust quality by reducing the ozone and carbon monoxide emissions. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) has similar utility compared to another widely used oxygenate, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), and thus is a potential replacement for MTBE.
Usage of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) as a fuel additive has halted in the United States, falling from 2 to 4 million barrels per month in 2005 to 0 barrels in 2006 (DOE, 2007). 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) continues to be used widely in Europe (EFOA, 2010). 
Since ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used almost exclusively in fuels, contamination of groundwater as a result of spillage or leakage of the underground storage tanks is a major source of environmental release.
In 2006, because of litigation and liability fears, the blending (but not the production) of MTBE into petrol in the United States was discontinued, whereas the European Union (EU) has continued its use of ethers in blending. 
Other global producers and consumers of fuel ether oxygenates are the Middle East, South America (excluding Brazil), Mexico, and a large portion of Asia. 
The current global production capacity is estimated to be approximately 18 Mton year1. 
The expected demand for MTBE t ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) in Asia is 11.9 Mton. 
In 2010, China was the world’s largest producer of MTBE (6.8 Mton year 1), yet was also importing MTBE at 740 kton in the same year. 
In Japan, Bio-ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is the biofuel of choice for petrol. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is preferred over alcohols in Japan on the basis of emission benefits, vehicle performance, and existing regulations.
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an oxygenate gasoline additive oxygenate during its production from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an extractant in human urine by using single-walled carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) plays an important role as a fuel component in petrol to enhance its octane rating.

ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether), also known as ethyl tert-butyl ether, is commonly used as an oxygenate gasoline additive in the production of gasoline from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) offers equal or greater air quality benefits than ethanol, while being technically and logistically less challenging. 
Unlike ethanol, ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) does not induce evaporation of gasoline, which is one of the causes of smog, and does not absorb moisture from the atmosphere.


ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an oxygenate gasoline additive oxygenate during its production from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an extractant in human urine by using single-walled carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) plays an important role as a fuel component in petrol to enhance its octane rating.

This Thermo Scientific brand product was originally part of the Alfa Aesar product portfolio. 
Some documentation and label information may refer to the legacy brand. 
The original Alfa Aesar product / item code or SKU reference has not changed as a part of the brand transition to Thermo Scientific.

Applications
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an oxygenate gasoline additive oxygenate during its production from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an extractant in human urine by using single-walled carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) plays an important role as a fuel component in petrol to enhance its octane rating.

Ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) is a biofuel.
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is a clear, colourless to pale yellow liquid organic compound with a distinctive ether-like odour, derived from ethanol (47% v/v) and isobutylene (53% v/v). 
The ethanol can come from any renewable source, e.g. as a co-product of sugar production from various crops such as wheat, beet; whilst the isobutylene is derived from crude oil or natural gas. 
The isobutylene sources include cracked stocks from refineries and steam crackers, or from chemical plants via dehydrogenation or dehydration processes. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is an oxygenated gasoline fuel component and ether. 
The better known oxygenates used today are methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), ethanol and ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether). 
Oxygenates are used as octane boosters to replace toxic and carcinogenic compounds such as lead, they have a positive effect on air quality and thus have a direct positive impact on human health and the environment. 
Ethers have been used in gasoline for over 30 years at various levels up to 15% and are thus fully compatible with the existing distribution infrastructure and the existing vehicle fleet. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) was first used in 1992, in France, and today is widely used and manufactured in most major gasoline markets in the EU. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether)’s unique properties of high octane, low boiling point and low vapour pressure make it a very versatile gasoline blending component, allowing refiners to address both their octane and bio-component incorporation needs. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) also allows petroleum companies to adjust to changing gasoline markets by using it to upgrade naphtha to gasoline or to upgrade lower octane gasoline grades to higher ones while meeting increasingly stringent environmental specifications. 
These unique blending properties coupled with ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether)’s oxygen content allow petroleum companies to produce cleaner burning renewable gasoline that reduces the vehicle emissions that are the precursors to ozone and particulate matter in the atmosphere. 
Blending ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) also helps to achieve the lower aromatic levels specified within the EU Fuel Quality Directive. 
The demands on gasoline quality are increasing for many reasons, such as improving vehicle performance and meeting environmental requirements. 
This is clearly illustrated in the Worldwide Fuel Charter developed by the world’s automobile manufacturers. 
These higher quality demands are leading to increasingly tighter gasoline specifications. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether)’s blending properties help the petroleum industry to produce gasoline that meets these increasingly more stringent specifications at lower manufacturing investment costs and thereby at a lower cost to consumers and society. 
EFOA believes that ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) represents a major opportunity for a practical, efficient development of biofuels and that it will play an increasingly important role in the future as governments and consumers around the world continue to call for cleaner burning gasoline and the use of crude-alternative biofuels.  


Chemical Properties
Formula: (CH3)3COCH2CH3
Formula Weight: 102.18
Melting point: -94°
Boiling Point: 72-73°
Flash Point: -19°(-2°F)
Density: 0.750
Refractive Index: 1.3750
Storage & Sensitivity: Ambient temperatures.
Solubility: Miscible with alcohol, ethyl ether. Slightly miscible with water.

Uses:
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an oxygenate gasoline additive oxygenate during its production from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used as an extractant in human urine by using single-walled carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) plays an important role as a fuel component in petrol to enhance its octane rating.


Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) is commonly used as an oxygenate gasoline additive in the production of gasoline from crude oil. 
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) offers equal or greater air quality benefits as ethanol, while being technically and logistically less challenging. 
Unlike ethanol, ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) does not induce evaporation of gasoline, which is one of the causes of smog, and does not absorb moisture from the atmosphere.


Synthesis
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is synthesized by mixing ethanol and isobutylene and reacting them with heat over a catalyst.

Ethanol, produced by fermentation and distillation, is more expensive than methanol, which is derived from natural gas. 
Therefore, MTBE, made from methanol is cheaper than ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether), made from ethanol. 
However, (bio)ethanol makes ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) partially a biofuel, while MTBE is entirely a fossil fuel and introduces a risk to the environment (see the article on MTBE).

About ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether)
Helpful information
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is registered under the REACH Regulation and is manufactured in and / or imported to the European Economic Area, at ≥ 1 000 000 to < 10 000 000 tonnes per annum.

ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used by consumers, by professional workers (widespread uses), in formulation or re-packing, at industrial sites and in manufacturing.

Consumer Uses
ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is used in the following products: fuels.
Other release to the environment of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is likely to occur from: outdoor use as reactive substance.
Article service life
ECHA has no public registered data on the routes by which ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is most likely to be released to the environment. ECHA has no public registered data indicating whether or into which articles the substance might have been processed.

Widespread uses by professional workers
ECHA has no public registered data indicating whether or in which chemical products the substance might be used. ECHA has no public registered data on the types of manufacture using ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether). Other release to the environment of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is likely to occur from: indoor use as reactive substance and outdoor use as reactive substance.
Formulation or re-packing
ECHA has no public registered data indicating whether or in which chemical products the substance might be used. Release to the environment of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) can occur from industrial use: formulation of mixtures and manufacturing of the substance.
Uses at industrial sites
ECHA has no public registered data indicating whether or in which chemical products the substance might be used. ECHA has no public registered data on the types of manufacture using ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether). Other release to the environment of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) is likely to occur from: indoor use as reactive substance.

Manufacture
Release to the environment of ETBE (Ethyl tert.-Butyl Ether) can occur from industrial use: manufacturing of the substance and formulation of mixtures.

IUPAC NAMES:
2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropan
2-ethoxy-2-methylpropane
2-ethoxy-2-methylpropane
ETBE
Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether
Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE)
Ethyl-tert.-butyl-ether
Tert-Butyl Ethyl Ether
tert-Butyl Ethyl Ether
tert-Butyl ethyl ether
tert-butyl ethyl ether
tert-butyl ethyl ether (ETBE)


SYNONYMS:
tert-Butyl ethyl ether
637-92-3
2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropane
Ethyl tert-butyl ether
ETBE
Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl-
Ethyl t-butyl ether
2-Methyl-2-ethoxypropane
Ethyl tert-butyl oxide
Ether, tert-butyl ethyl
Ethyl-tert-butyl ether
2-ethoxy-2-methyl-propane
T-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER
UNII-3R9B16WR19
2-Methyl-2-ethoxypropane (etbe)
3R9B16WR19
Methyl-2-ethoxypropan
MFCD00009225
1,1-Dimethylethyl ethyl ether
Ethyl 1,1-dimethylethyl ether
CCRIS 6061
Tere-Butyl Ethyl Ether
NSC 1069
EINECS 211-309-7
HSDB 7867
t-BuOEt
ethyl-tert-butylether
tert-C4H9OC2H5
EC 211-309-7
SCHEMBL42870
tert-Butyl ethyl ether, 99%
CHEMBL1409831
DTXSID0025604
NSC1069
CHEBI:141564
ethyl (2-methyl-2-propyl) ether
tert-Butyl ethyl ether, analytical standard
tert-Butyl ethyl ether, purum, >=97.0% (GC)
Ethyl-tert-butyl ether 100 microg/mL in Acetonitrile
TERT-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER
T-BUTYLETHYL ETHER
1,1-dimethylethylethylether
ethyltert-butyloxide
Propane,2-ethoxy-2-methyl-
tert-C4H9OC2H5
ETBE
ETHYL-TERT-BUTYL ETHER
ETHYL TERTIARY BUTYL ETHER
TERT-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER, 1000MG, NEAT
tert-Butylethylether,97%
METHYL-2-ETHOXYPROPANE
1,1-Dimethylethoxyethane
Tere-butyl ethyl ether
tert-Butyl ethyl ether + blank RFA
tert-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER 99%
tert-Butyl ethyl eth
Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE)
tert-Butyl ethyl ether, 97% 25GR
tert-Butyl ethyl ether
tert-Butyl ethyleether
tert-Butyl ethyl ether puruM, >=97.0% (GC)
Ethyl-tert-but
2-ethoxy-2-methyl-propan
2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropane
2-ethoxy-2-methyl-propane
2-methyl-2-ethoxypropane
Ether, tert-butyl ethyl
ether,tert-butylethyl
Ethyl tert-butyl oxide
ethyl(2-methyl-2-propyl)ether
ethyl1,1-dimethylethylether
tert-Butyl Ethyl Ether >
TERT-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER FOR SYNTHESIS
ert-Butylethylether
637-92-3 C6H14O TERT-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER
tert-Butyl ethyl ether
1,1-Dimethylethyl ethyl ether
1731469 [Beilstein]
211-309-7 [EINECS]
2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropan [German] [ACD/IUPAC Name]
2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropane [ACD/IUPAC Name]
2-Éthoxy-2-méthylpropane [French] [ACD/IUPAC Name]
2-Methyl-2-ethoxypropane
3R9B16WR19
637-92-3 [RN]
ETBE [Trade name]
Ethyl 1,1-dimethylethyl ether
ethyl tert-butyl ether
Ethyl tert-butyl oxide
Methyl-2-ethoxypropane
MFCD00009225 [MDL number]
Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl- [ACD/Index Name]
t-butyl ethyl ether
UNII-3R9B16WR19
1,1-Dimethylethylethylether
2-ethoxy-2-methyl-propane
éter etil-terc-butílico [Portuguese]
ether, t-butyl ethyl
Ether, tert-butyl ethyl
ETHYL T-BUTYL ETHER
Ethyl-tert-butyl ether
ethyltert-butylether
Ethyl-tert-butylether
Propane,2-ethoxy-2-methyl-
Tere-butyl ethyl ether
tert-Butoxyethane
TERT-BUTYL ETHYL ETHER-(TRIMETHYL-13C3)
tert-Butyl ethyl ether|2-Ethoxy-2-methylpropane
tert-Butyl ethylether
tert-Butylethylether
tert-C4H9OC2H5

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