Category

General Application:

tert-Butyl alcohol is derived commercially from isobutane as a coproduct of propylene oxide production. Purification cannot be performed by simple distillation due to formation of an azeotrope with water, although initial drying of the solvent containing large amounts of water is performed by adding benzene to form a tertiary azeotrope and distilling off the water. tert-Butyl alcohol is used as a solvent, ethanol denaturant, paint remover ingredient, and gasoline octane booster and oxygenate. As a tertiary alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol is more resistant to oxidation and less reactive than the other isomers of butanol. The tert-butoxide is a strong, non-nucleophilic base in organic chemistry