How Much Do You Know About Methyl Ethyl Ketone?

Properties of MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone

Colorless and transparent volatile liquid with the smell of acetone. Melting point- 85.9℃; boiling point 79,6℃; 30℃ (15. 9kPa), relative density0.8054 (20/4℃); refractive index1. 3788;Flash point (open cup) -6℃; auto-ignition temperature515.6℃; heat capacity 2.297kj/ (kg．℃) , viscosity (20℃) 0.41mPa-s. Soluble in4parts of water, but solubility decreases with increasing temperature. At 20℃, the solubility in water is 26.8% (mass). The solubility of water in2-methyl ethyl ketone is 11.8% by mass. It dissolves in ethanol and ether, and is miscible with oil.It forms an azeotrope with water, and the boiling point of the azeotrope is74.3℃, containing88.7%methyl ethyl ketone. The explosion limits in the air are 1.97%～10.1% (volume).

Preparation of MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone

The butanol-containing mixture is reacted with sulfuric acid, then diluted with water, hydrolyzed to give a secondary butanol aqueous solution, dehydrated, purified to get secondary butanol. The pure secondary butanol is catalytically dehydrogenated by nickel or zinc oxide to obtain the final product. Alternatively, it can be directly hydrated using normal butene.

Applications of MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone

MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone is mainly used as solvents, such as for lubricating oil dewaxing, paint industry, and various resin solvents, extraction and refining processes of vegetable oil and co-boiling distillation, and their advantages are strong solubility and lower volatility than acetone, belonging to mid-boiling ketone solvent. MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone is also intermediates for the production of medicines, dyes, detergents, antioxidants, and some catalysts, and are used in the synthesis of anti-skinning agent methyl ethyl ketoxime, polymerization catalyst methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, corrosion inhibitor methyl butynol, and so on. It is used as a cleaning agent for integrated circuit photoresist and process in the electronics industry.

Safety of MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone

Methyl ethyl ketone is classified as a low toxicity substance. Inhalation of vapor can cause irritation to the eyes and nasal mucosa, and may also lead to headaches. Severe poisoning can cause numbness in the hands and feet, and prolonged exposure can result in dermatitis. The permissible concentration in air is 200×10-6, and it should be stored away from heat sources in a dry place.

Methyl ethyl ketone is a colorless and transparent volatile liquid with a pleasant and stimulating odor (also known as MEK, butanone, 2-butanone, or methyl propyl ketone). It is widely used in coatings, adhesives, PU coatings, printing inks, detergents, artificial leather, and pesticide intermediates.

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