MONOETHYLENE GLYCOL

CAS NO:107-21-1
EC NO:203-473-3

SYNONYMS

ETHYLENE GLYCOL;1,2-ethanediol;Ethane-1,2-diol;107-21-1;glycol;monoethylene glycol;1,2-Dihydroxyethane;2-hydroxyethanol;Glycol alcohol;Ethylene alcohol;polyethylene glycol;Macrogol;Fridex;Tescol;Ethylene dihydrate;Norkool;Macrogol 400 BPC;Dowtherm SR 1;ethanediol;Zerex;Ucar 17;Lutrol-9;Polyethylene glycol 200;ethyleneglycol;Glycol, ethylene-;1,2-Ethandiol;Glycols, polyethylene;Caswell No. 441;Ethylenglycol;Aethylenglykol [German];ethylen glycol;ethylene-glycol;Lutrol;PEG 400;Polyethylene glycol 600;146AR;Polyethylene glycol 1000;UNII-FC72KVT52F;Lutrol 9;Carbowax 20;MFCD00002885;NSC 93876;Carbowax 300;Carbowax 400;1,2-Ethanediol;glycol, 1,2-Dihydroxyethane;Monoethylene glycol;MEG;ethane-1,2-dioL;monoethylene-glycol;1,2-Ethanediol; Glycol; MEG; 1,2-Dihydroxyethane;
1,2-Ethandiol; 2-Hydroxyethanol; Athylenglykol (German);Disperse yellow 3, Estone yellow gn, Amacel Yellow G, Yellow Z, Fenacet yellow G, Kayaset yellow G, Palanil yellow G, Reliton yellow C, Setacyl yellow G, Yellow reliton G, Artisil Yellow G, Eastone yellow gn, Palacet yellow gn, Resiren yellow tg, Fast Yellow GD, Celliton yellow G, Disperse yellow G, Disperse yellow Z, Durgacet yellow G, Genacron yellow G;1,2-ethanediol;Ethane-1,2-diol;107-21-1;glycol;monoethylene glycol;1,2-Dihydroxyethane;2-hydroxyethanol;Glycol alcohol;Ethylene alcohol;polyethylene glycol;Macrogol;Fridex;Tescol;Ethylene dihydrate;Norkool;Macrogol 400 BPC;Dowtherm SR 1;ethanediol;Zerex;Ucar 17;Lutrol-9;Polyethylene glycol 200;ethyleneglycol;Glycol, ethylene-;1,2-Ethandiol;Glycols, polyethylene;Caswell No. 441;Ethylenglycol;Aethylenglykol [German];ethylen glycol;ethylene-glycol;Lutrol;PEG 400;Polyethylene glycol 600;146AR;Polyethylene glycol 1000;UNII-FC72KVT52F;Lutrol 9;Carbowax 20;MFCD00002885;NSC 93876;Carbowax 300;Carbowax 400;1,2-Ethanediol;glycol, 1,2-Dihydroxyethane;Monoethylene glycol;MEG;ethane-1,2-dioL;monoethylene-glycol;1,2-Ethanediol; Glycol; MEG; 1,2-Dihydroxyethane;
1,2-Ethandiol; 2-Hydroxyethanol; Athylenglykol (German);Dispe

Ethylene glycol (CH2OH) 2 is a type of diol. It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the production of polyester fiber and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odorless, colorless, sweet-tasting syrup and moderately toxic.

Glycol: any of a class of organic chemicals characterized by having separate two hydroxyl (-OH) groups, contribute to high water solubility, hygroscopicity and reactivity with many organic compounds, on usually linear and aliphatic carbon chain. The general formula is CnH2n(OH)2 or (CH2)n(OH)2. The wider meaning names include diols, dihydric alcohols, and dihydroxy alcohols. Polyethylene glycols and polypropylene glycols are sometimes called polyglycols which are derived by polymerization of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide respectively. Polyethylene glycols are water-soluble at all molecular weights, but polypropylene glycols become increasingly less water-soluble at high molecular weights. Ethylene glycol, HOCH2CH2OH, is the simplest member of the glycol family. Mono-, di- and triethylene glycols are the first three members of a homologous series of dihydroxy alcohols. They are colourless, essentially odourless stable liquids with low viscosities and high boiling points. Ethylene glycol is a colourless, odourless, involatile and hygroscopic liquid with a sweet taste.  It is somewhat viscous liquid; miscible with water; boiling point 198 C, melting point 13 C; soluble in ethanol, acetone, acetic acid, glycerine, pyridine, aldehydes; slightly soluble in ether; insoluble in oil, fat, hydrocarbones. It is prepared commercially by oxidation of ethylene at high temperature in the presence of silver oxide catalyst, followed by hydration of ethylene oxide to yield mono-, with di-, tri-, and tetraethylene glycols as co-products.  The yields of ethylene glycol are depend on pH conditions. The acid-catalyzed condition in the presence of excess water provides the highest yield of monoethylene glycol. Because of its low freezing point, involatility and low corrosive activity, it is widely used in mixtures of automobile antifreeze and engine-cooling liquids. Ethylene glycol has become increasingly important in the plastics industry for the manufacture of polyester fibers and resins, including polyethylene terephthalate, which is used to make plastic bottles for soft drinks (PET bottles). MEG is the raw material in the production of polyester fiber, PET resins, alkyd, and unsaturated polyester. Diethylene glycol, CH2OHCH2OCH2CH2OH, is similar in properties to MEG, but with a higher boiling point, viscosity, and specific gravity. Diethylene glycol is used in the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins, polyurethanes and plasticizers. It is a water-soluble liquid;  boiling point 245 C; soluble in many organic solvents. It is used as a humectant in the tobacco industry and in the treatment of corks, glue, paper and cellophane. Diethylene glycol (DEG) is derived as a co-product with ethylene glycol and triethylene glycol. The industry generally operates to maximize MEG production. Ethylene glycol is by far the largest volume of the glycol products in a variety of applications. Availability of DEG will depend on demand for derivatives of the primary product, ethylene glycol, rather than on DEG market requirements. Triethylene glycol, HO(C2H4O)3H, is a colourless, odourless, non-volatile, and hygroscopic liquid. It is characterised by two hydroxyl groups along with two ether linkages, which contribute to its high water solubility, hygroscopicity, solvent properties and reactivity with many organic compounds. DEG is used in the synthesis of morpholine and 1,4-dioxane. TEG is displacing diethylene glycol in many of these applications on account of its lower toxicity. TEG finds use as a vinyl plasticizer, as an intermediate in the manufacture of polyester resins and polyols, and as a solvent in many miscellaneous applications. Triethylene glycol (TEG) is derived as a coproduct in the manufacture of ethylene glycol from ethylene oxide, and from "on-purpose" TEG production using diethylene glycol. Some capacities are based on total capacity for ethylene glycols. The main uses for TEG depend upon its hygroscopic properties. Air conditioning systems use TEG as dehumidifiers and, when volatilized, as an air disinfectant for bacteria and virus control. Glycols, having high boiling point and affinity for water, are employed as liquid desiccant for the dehydration of natural gas. The dehydration means the removal of water vapor in refinery tower so that dry hydrocarbon gases can exit from the top of the tower. There are wide range of glycol ethers which have bifunctional nature of ether and alcohol. cellosolves are monoether derivatives of ethylene glycol. They are excellent solvents, having solvent properties of both ethers and alcohols. Glycol family products are versatile compounds used in the fields include;
Anti-freezing and anti-icing additive
Intermediate in polymer production and chemical reaction
Solvent or plasticizer for plastic, lacquer, paint and varnish
Hydraulic, brake, thermal exchange fluids and fuel additive
Humidifying and plasticizing
Dehydrating
Coupling printing inks
Textile conditioning
Solvent for dyes in textile and leather finishing
Agricultural formulation
General purpose cleaners
Explosives manufacture
Electrolytic component
Humectant
Water-based coating
Preservative, rust remover, and disinfectant

SALES SPECIFICATION

APPEARANCE;Clear liquid [Visual]
PURITY;99.8% min [G.C.]
DEG;0.05% max [G.C.]
WATER;500ppm max [ASTM E-203-92]
ALDEHYDE;10ppm mmax [SHELL SMS 1996-74]
ACIDITY;50ppm max [ASTM D-1613-91]
COLOR, APHA    ;5max [ASTM D-1209-93]
SPECIFIC GRAVITY;1.115 - 1.1156 [ASTM D-891-94]
DISTILL RANGE;196 C (5%) - 199 C (95%) [ASTM D1078-93]
ASH;50ppm max [SD No. EO-254A]
Fe;0.1ppm max [ASTM E-202-94]
Cl;1.0ppm max [SD No EO-635]
UV TRANSMITTANCE
220nm - 70% max [SD No. EO-577A]
275nm - 90% max
350nm - 95% max
ASH;50ppm max [SD No. EO-254A]

Industrial routes
Ethylene glycol is produced from ethylene (ethene), via the intermediate ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide reacts with water to produce ethylene glycol according to the chemical equation:

C2H4O + H2O › HO-CH2CH2-OH
This reaction can be catalyzed by either acids or bases, or can occur at neutral pH under elevated temperatures. The highest yields of ethylene glycol occur at acidic or neutral pH with a large excess of water. Under these conditions, ethylene glycol yields of 90% can be achieved. The major byproducts are the oligomers diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol. The separation of these oligomers and water is energy-intensive. About 6.7 million tonnes are produced annually.

A higher selectivity is achieved by use of Shell's OMEGA process. In the OMEGA process, the ethylene oxide is first converted with carbon dioxide (CO2) to ethylene carbonate. This ring is then hydrolyzed with a base catalyst in a second step to produce mono-ethylene glycol in 98% selectivity.The carbon dioxide is released in this step again and can be fed back into the process circuit. The carbon dioxide comes in part from the ethylene oxide production, where a part of the ethylene is completely oxidized.

Ethylene glycol is produced from carbon monoxide in countries with large coal reserves and less stringent environmental regulations. The oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl oxalate provides a promising approach to the production of C1-based ethylene glycol.

Because the methanol is recycled, only carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and oxygen are consumed. One plant with a production capacity of 200?000 tons of ethylene glycol per year is in Inner Mongolia, and a second plant in the Chinese province of Henan with a capacity of 250?000 tons per year was scheduled for 2012.As of 2015, four plants in China with a capacity of 200000 t/a each were operating with at least 17 more to follow.

Historical routes
According to most sources, French chemist Charles-Adolphe Wurtz (1817–1884) first prepared ethylene glycol in 1856.He first treated "ethylene iodide" (C2H4I2) with silver acetate and then hydrolyzed the resultant "ethylene diacetate" with potassium hydroxide. Wurtz named his new compound "glycol" because it shared qualities with both ethyl alcohol (with one hydroxyl group) and glycerin (with three hydroxyl groups).In 1859, Wurtz prepared ethylene glycol via the hydration of ethylene oxide. There appears to have been no commercial manufacture or application of ethylene glycol prior to World War I, when it was synthesized from ethylene dichloride in Germany and used as a substitute for glycerol in the explosives industry.

In the United States, semicommercial production of ethylene glycol via ethylene chlorohydrin started in 1917. The first large-scale commercial glycol plant was erected in 1925 at South Charleston, West Virginia, by Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Co. (now Union Carbide Corp.). By 1929, ethylene glycol was being used by almost all dynamite manufacturers. In 1937, Carbide started up the first plant based on Lefort's process for vapor-phase oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide. Carbide maintained a monopoly on the direct oxidation process until 1953, when the Scientific Design process was commercialized and offered for licensing.

Uses
Ethylene glycol is primarily used in antifreeze formulations (50%) and as a raw material in the manufacture of polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (40%).

Coolant and heat-transfer agent
The major use of ethylene glycol is as a medium for convective heat transfer in, for example, automobiles and liquid-cooled computers. Ethylene glycol is also commonly used as a coolant for chilled-water air-conditioning systems that either place the chiller or air handlers outside or must cool below the freezing temperature of water. In geothermal heating/cooling systems, ethylene glycol is the fluid that transports heat through the use of a geothermal heat pump. The ethylene glycol either gains energy from the source (lake, ocean, water well) or dissipates heat to the sink, depending on whether the system is being used for heating or cooling.

Pure ethylene glycol has a specific heat capacity about one half that of water. So, while providing freeze protection and an increased boiling point, ethylene glycol lowers the specific heat capacity of water mixtures relative to pure water. A 1:1 mix by mass has a specific heat capacity of about 3140 J/(kg·°C) (0.75 BTU/(lb·°F)), three quarters that of pure water, thus requiring increased flow rates in same-system comparisons with water. The formation of large bubbles in cooling passages of internal combustion engines will severely inhibit heat flow (flux) from the area, so that allowing nucleation (tiny bubbles) to occur is not advisable. Large bubbles in cooling passages will be self-sustaining or grow larger, with a virtually complete loss of cooling in the area. With pure MEG (mono-ethylene glycol) the hot spot will reach 200 °C (392 °F). Cooling by other effects such as air draft from fans (not considered in pure nucleation analysis) will assist in preventing large-bubble formation.

The mixture of ethylene glycol with water provides additional benefits to coolant and antifreeze solutions, such as preventing corrosion and acid degradation, as well as inhibiting the growth of most microbes and fungi.

Antifreeze
Pure ethylene glycol freezes at about -12 °C (10.4 °F) but, when mixed with water, the mixture freezes at a lower temperature. For example, a mixture of 60% ethylene glycol and 40% water freezes at -45 °C (-49 °F).Diethylene glycol behaves similarly. The freezing point depression of some mixtures can be explained as a colligative property of solutions but, in highly concentrated mixtures such as the example, deviations from ideal solution behavior are expected due to the influence of intermolecular forces.

There is a difference in the mixing ratio, depending on whether it is ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. For ethylene glycol, the mixing ratios are typically 30/70 and 35/65, whereas the propylene glycol mixing ratios are typically 35/65 and 40/60. It is important that the mixture is frost-proof at the lowest operating temperature.

Because of the depressed freezing temperatures, ethylene glycol is used as a de-icing fluid for windshields and aircraft, as an antifreeze in automobile engines, and as a component of vitrification (anticrystallization) mixtures for low-temperature preservation of biological tissues and organs. Mixture of ethylene glycol and water can also be chemically termed as glycol concentrate/compound/mixture/solution.

The use of ethylene glycol not only depresses the freezing point of aqueous mixtures, but also elevates their boiling point. This results in the operating temperature range for heat-transfer fluids being broadened on both ends of the temperature scale. The increase in boiling temperature is due to pure ethylene glycol having a much higher boiling point and lower vapor pressure than pure water, as is typical with most binary mixtures of volatile liquids.

Precursor to polymers
In the plastic industry, ethylene glycol is an important precursor to polyester fibers and resins. Polyethylene terephthalate, used to make plastic bottles for soft drinks, is prepared from ethylene glycol.

Ethylene glycol is one precursor to polyethyleneterephthalate, which is produced on the multimillion ton scale annually.
Other uses
Dehydrating agent
Ethylene glycol is used in the natural gas industry to remove water vapor from natural gas before further processing, in much the same manner as triethylene glycol (TEG).

Hydrate inhibition
Because of its high boiling point and affinity for water, ethylene glycol is a useful desiccant. Ethylene glycol is widely used to inhibit the formation of natural gas clathrates (hydrates) in long multiphase pipelines that convey natural gas from remote gas fields to a gas processing facility. Ethylene glycol can be recovered from the natural gas and reused as an inhibitor after purification treatment that removes water and inorganic salts.

Natural gas is dehydrated by ethylene glycol. In this application, ethylene glycol flows down from the top of a tower and meets a rising mixture of water vapor and hydrocarbon gases. Dry gas exits from the top of the tower. The glycol and water are separated, and the glycol recycled. Instead of removing water, ethylene glycol can also be used to depress the temperature at which hydrates are formed. The purity of glycol used for hydrate suppression (monoethylene glycol) is typically around 80%, whereas the purity of glycol used for dehydration (triethylene glycol) is typically 95 to more than 99%. Moreover, the injection rate for hydrate suppression is much lower than the circulation rate in a glycol dehydration tower.

Applications
Minor uses of ethylene glycol include the manufacture of capacitors, as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of 1,4-dioxane, as an additive to prevent corrosion in liquid cooling systems for personal computers, and inside the lens devices of cathode-ray tube type of rear projection televisions. Ethylene glycol is also used in the manufacture of some vaccines, but it is not itself present in these injections. It is used as a minor (1–2%) ingredient in shoe polish and also in some inks and dyes. Ethylene glycol has seen some use as a rot and fungal treatment for wood, both as a preventative and a treatment after the fact. It has been used in a few cases to treat partially rotted wooden objects to be displayed in museums. It is one of only a few treatments that are successful in dealing with rot in wooden boats, and is relatively cheap. Ethylene glycol may also be one of the minor ingredients in screen cleaning solutions, along with the main ingredient isopropyl alcohol. Ethylene glycol is commonly used as a preservative for biological specimens, especially in secondary schools during dissection as a safer alternative to formaldehyde. It is also used as part of the water-based hydraulic fluid used to control subsea oil and gas production equipment.

Ethylene glycol is used as a protecting group in organic synthesis to protect carbonyl compounds such as ketones and aldehydes.

Silicon dioxide reacts in heated reflux under dinitrogen with ethylene glycol and an alkali metal base to produce highly reactive, pentacoordinate silicates which provide access to a wide variety of new silicon compounds. The silicates are essentially insoluble in all polar solvent except methanol.

It also can be used in vaccine manufacture or as a formaldehyde substitute when preserving biological specimens.

Chemical reactions
Ethylene glycol is used as a protecting group for carbonyl groups in organic synthesis. Treating a ketone or aldehyde with ethylene glycol in the presence of an acid catalyst (e.g., p-toluenesulfonic acid; BF3·Et2O) gives the corresponding a 1,3-dioxolane, which is resistant to bases and other nucleophiles. The 1,3-dioxolane protecting group can thereafter be removed by further acid hydrolysis.In this example, isophorone was protected using ethylene glycol with p-toluenesulfonic acid in moderate yield. Water was removed by azeotropic distillation to shift the equilibrium to the right.

Ethylene glycol protecting group.png
Toxicity
Main article: Ethylene glycol poisoning
Ethylene glycol is moderately toxic, with an oral LDLo = 786 mg/kg for humans. The major danger is due to its sweet taste, which can attract children and animals. Upon ingestion, ethylene glycol is oxidized to glycolic acid, which is, in turn, oxidized to oxalic acid, which is toxic. It and its toxic byproducts first affect the central nervous system, then the heart, and finally the kidneys. Ingestion of sufficient amounts is fatal if untreated.Several deaths are recorded annually in the U.S. alone.

Antifreeze products for automotive use containing propylene glycol in place of ethylene glycol are available. They are generally considered safer to use, as propylene glycol isn't as palatable and is converted in the body to lactic acid, a normal product of metabolism and exercise.

Australia, the UK, and seventeen US states (as of 2012) require the addition of a bitter flavoring (denatonium benzoate) to antifreeze. In December 2012, US antifreeze manufacturers agreed voluntarily to add a bitter flavoring to all antifreeze that is sold in the consumer market of the US.

Environmental effects
Ethylene glycol is a high-production-volume chemical; it breaks down in air in about 10 days and in water or soil in a few weeks. It enters the environment through the dispersal of ethylene glycol-containing products, especially at airports, where it is used in deicing agents for runways and airplanes.While prolonged low doses of ethylene glycol show no toxicity, at near lethal doses (??1000 mg/kg per day) ethylene glycol acts as a teratogen. "Based on a rather extensive database, it induces skeletal variations and malformations in rats and mice by all routes of exposure.This molecule has been observed in outer space.

Ethylene glycol is produced from ethylene, via the intermediate ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide reacts with water to produce ethylene glycol according to the chemical equation

C2H4O + H2O  HOCH2CH2OH

This reaction can be catalyzed by either acids or bases, or can occur at neutral pH under elevated temperatures. The highest yields of ethylene glycol occur at acidic or neutral pH with a large excess of water. Under these conditions, ethylene glycol yields of 90% can be achieved. The major byproducts are the ethylene glycol oligomers diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol.

APPLICATIONS OF MONOETHYLENE GLYCOL
Mono-ethylene Glycol (MEG) can be used for applications that require chemical intermediates for resins, solvent couplers, freezing point depression, solvents, humectants and chemical intermediates. These applications are vital to the manufacture of a wide range of products,including resins; deicing fluids; heat transfer fluids; automotive antifreeze and coolants; water-based adhesives, latex paints and asphalt emulsions;electrolytic capacitors; textile fibers; paper and leather.

NON-SUPPORTED USES OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL
FROM MEGLOBAL
The following applications are NOT supported by MEGlobal for ethylene
glycol or where its use is restricted by regulation. This non-inclusive list
of applications does not imply a MEGlobal warranty or MEGlobal support of
uses in applications not covered by this list.
• The production of tobacco and in the manufacture of tobacco products(including but not limited to additives, humectants, filters, inks, and paper).
• The generation of artificial smoke/theatrical fogs/(ist. This includes application such as artificial / e-cigarettes.
• As ingredient in fuel for warming foods (Sterno™-like application) or in fuel for heating an enclosed space where human exposure.
• In fire extinguishing sprinkler systems.
• In the manufacture of munitions.
• In the production of deicers for use on roadways, sidewalks and in aircraft lavatories.
• As a component of heat transfer fluids in systems where the heat transfer fluids could infiltrate (i.e., via an exchanger leak, backflow prevention failure,or other means) a potable water system.
• As a non-reacted component in a formulation for direct internal or external human /animal contact, including but not limited to ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact and in medical / veterinary devices and medical / veterinary applications (Examples of some such applications are uses as a direct component in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, or personal care products.).
• For consumer or hospital usage for deodorizing or air “purifying” purposes by spraying as an aerosol.
• As a non-reacted component in adhesives, plasticizers, and softening agents for packaging that has direct contact with food or beverage.
• As a non-reacted component in the formulation of glues, pastes, ice / heat packs or other items where the potential for significant human contact and/or ingestion exists (including but not limited to children’s school glue/paste or arts/craft glue/paste, toys, children products).
• As a fluid for pressure testing of pipelines.
• As a non-reacted component in the production of freezer gel packs used in lunch boxes, thermal food carriers or other related applications which allows for the possibility of glycol being exposed to food products or available for ingestion.
• For the use in the treatment of wood rot and fungus in marine applications.The reasons for these limitations include areas which MEGlobal has decided not to pursue for general business reasons and to minimize unnecessary risk and liabilities to the company.

MEGlobal’s monoethylene glycol (MEG) is a basic building block used for applications that require:

Chemical intermediates for resins
Solvent couplers
Freezing point depression solvents
Humectants and chemical intermediates
Application Usage
These applications are vital to the manufacture of a wide variety of products, including:

Resins
Deicing fluids
Heat transfer fluids
Automotive antifreeze and coolants
Water-based adhesives
Latex paints and asphalt emulsions
Electrolytic capacitors
Textile fibers
Paper
Leather
Ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol) in its pure form, is an odorless, colorless, syrupy liquid.

Production
Ethylene glycol is produced from ethylene, via the intermediate ethylene oxide
Ethylene oxide reacts with water to produce ethylene glycol according to the chemical equation

  C2H4O + H2O › HOCH2CH2OH

This reaction can be catalyzed by either acids or bases, or can occur at neutral pH under elevated temperatures. The highest yields of ethylene glycol occur at acidic or neutral pH with a large excess of water. Under these conditions, ethylene glycol yields of 90% can be achieved. The major byproducts are the ethylene glycol oligomers diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and tetraethylene glycol.

Precautions: Carefully review Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Overexposure through improper storage, handling or use could lead to serious health risks.

MEGlobal supports the sale of MEG for use in the traditional standard industrial applications only.

MEGlobal does not knowingly market its ethylene glycol products into non-supported applications.

Visit our Diethylene Glycol page for products that can supplement our monoethylene glycol portfolio.

Learn about REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation), the single regulatory system for chemicals management in the European Union (EU).

Mono ethylene glycol (also known as MEG, EG, 1,2-ethanediol or 1,2-Dihydroxyethane) is an organic compound with the formula C2H6O2. It is a slightly viscous liquid with a clear, colourless appearance and a sweet taste that emits virtually no odour. It’s miscible with water, alcohols, and many other organic compounds and is primarily used in the industry for manufacturing polyester fibres and as a component in the production of antifreeze, coolants, aircraft anti-icers and de-icers.

Technical Properties
Chemical and physical properties of mono ethylene glycol:

Molecular Formula: C2H6O2 / (CH2OH)2 / HOCH2CH2OH

Synonyms: monoethyleneglycol, mono ethyl glycol, meg glycol, ethylene glycol, 1,2-ethanediol, Ethane-1,2-diol, EG, industrial glycol, 1,2-Dihydroxyethane, glycol alcohol.

Cas Number: 107-21-1

Molecular Mass: 62.07 g/mol

Exact Mass: 62.036779 g/mol

Flashpoint: 232 °F/ 111.11 °C

Boiling Point: 387.7 °F / 197.6 °C at 760 mm Hg

Melting Point: 9 ° F / -12.8 °C

Vapour Pressure: 0.06 mm Hg at 68 °F / 20 °C

Water Solubility: Miscible

Density: 1.115 at 68 °F

This product note describes the specification for Mono Ethylene Glycol (MEG) liquid. Any product supplied under this specification must meet the properties described in the attached specification.

The chemical must be properly labeled in compliance with the present national and international laws and regulations concerning transport, health, safety and environment. A Safety Data Sheet must be provided by the manufacturer/supplier.

Mono Ethylene Glycol also known as MEG is a clear, colourless, virtually odourless, and slightly viscous liquid.  It is miscible with water, alcohols, and many organic compounds, and has the molecular formula C2H6O2, CAS: 107-21-1. It has a specific gravity of 1.115 and a flash point of 110 °C.

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is an important raw material for industrial applications. MEG is utilized in the manufacture of polyester (PET) resins, films, fibers, antifreezes, coolants, aircraft anti-icer and deicers and solvents.

It is also utilised as raw material for paper industry, polyester Resins, adhesives and inks, chemical Intermediates, Heat Transfer, Fluids.

It is also a used as a dehydration agent in natural gas pipelines where it inhibits the formation of natural gas clathrates.

Arpadis is one of the largest chemical distributor in Europe.

Arpadis is handling the storage, transport, export & import formalities of Mono Ethylene Glycol globally.