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Ethyl tert-butyl ether



Ethyl tert-butyl ether[1]
IUPAC name 2-Ethoxy-2-methyl-propane
Other names Ethyl tert-butyl ether
Ethyl tertiary butyl ether
Ethyl tert-butyl oxide
tert-Butyl ethyl ether
Ethyl t-butyl ether
Identifiers
Abbreviations ETBE
CAS number 637-92-3
PubChem 12512
EINECS number 211-309-7
RTECS number KN4730200
SMILES CCOC(C)(C)C
InChI InChI=1/C6H14O/c1-5-7-6(2,3)4/h5H2,1-4H3
Properties
Molecular formula C6H14O
Molar mass 102.17 g mol-1
Appearance Clear colorless liquid
Density 0.7364 g/cm3
Melting point

-94 °C, 179 K, -137 °F

Boiling point

69-71 °C

Solubility in water 1.2 g/100 g
Hazards
R-phrases R11 R20
S-phrases S16
Flash point -19 °C
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)

Infobox disclaimer and references

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

Synthesis

It 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, made from ethanol. However, (bio)ethanol makes ETBE partially a biofuel, while MTBE is entirely a fossil fuel and introduces a risk to the environment (see the article on MTBE).

See also

References

  1. ^ Merck Index, 11th Edition, 3732.
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ethyl_tert-butyl_ether". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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