Chemical Properties and Application Fields of Butanone

Butanone is a colorless and transparent liquid at room temperature, with the smell of acetone. It is an excellent solvent with low boiling point, soluble in water and organic solvents such as ethanol, acetyl, benzene, toluene, etc.

Ⅰ. Application fields of butanone

The uses of butanone are involved in many fields. Butanone is mainly used in polyurethane resin, FU leather and artificial leather, adhesives, coatings, lubricants, dewaxing inks, magnetic recording materials, and the electronics industry as a developer for integrated circuit lithography. At the same time, it is also an important refined raw material.

Ⅱ. The chemical properties of butanone

1. Since methyl ethyl ketone has a carbonyl group and an active hydrogen adjacent to the carbonyl group, various reactions are likely to occur.

Butanone is heated together with hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide to condense to produce 3,4-dimethyl-3-hexen-2-one or 3-methyl-3-hepten-5-one. When exposed to sunlight for a long time, butanone produces ethane, acetic acid, condensation products, etc. It can generate biacetyl when oxidized with nitric acid.

Acetic acid is generated when oxidized with strong oxidizing agents such as chromic acid. Butanone is relatively stable to heat, and ketene or methyl ketene is formed by thermal cracking above 500°C. When condensed with aliphatic or aromatic aldehydes, high molecular weight ketones, cyclic compounds, ketals and resins are formed. For example, it is condensed with formaldehyde in the presence of sodium hydroxide to first produce 2-methyl-1-butanol-3-one, and then dehydrate to produce methyl isopropenyl ketone.

The compound resinizes when irradiated by sunlight or ultraviolet light. Butanone is condensed with phenol to form 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane. Reacts with aliphatic esters in the presence of a basic catalyst to produce β-diketones.

In the presence of an acid catalyst, methyl ethyl ketone reacts with acid anhydride to produce β-diketone. It reacts with hydrogen cyanide to produce cyanohydrin, and reacts with ammonia to produce ketopiperidine derivatives. The α-hydrogen atom of methyl ethyl ketone is easily substituted by halogen to generate various halogenated ketones. For example, butanone reacts with chlorine to produce 3-chloro-2-butanone, and reacts with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine to produce yellow 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (m.p. 115°C).

2. Stability: stable.

3. Prohibited substances: strong oxidants, alkalis, and strong reducing agents.

4. Polymerization hazard: no polymerization.