2-Ethylhexanol (abbreviated as 2-EH; former name – isooctyl alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C8H18O. It is a branched, eight-carbon chiral alcohol. It is sparingly soluble in water but dissolves in most organic solvents. It is a colorless liquid.
Features
Application Areas
- Molar Mass: 130.231 g·mol⁻¹
- Appearance: Colorless liquid
- Density: 833 mg mL⁻¹
- Melting Point: −76 °C (−105 °F; 197 K)
- Boiling Point: 180 to 186 °C; 356 to 367 °F; 453 – 459 K
- Vapor Pressure: 30 Pa (at 20 °C)
- Refractive Index (nD): 1.431
- 2-Ethylhexanol is utilized as a high-boiling point solvent. It is used in small quantities to dissolve frozen varnishes and increase fluidity in enamel baking. 2-Ethylhexanol serves as a viscosity regulator, controlling the flow of phenol- or melamine-formaldehyde resin-based alkyds and enamels. It can be employed as a wetting and dispersing agent, reducing the particle size of paints and pigments.
- 2-Ethylhexanol is utilized as a low-volatility solvent in various formulations for printer inks, spray paints, and screen inks. It is also employed in disinfectants and insecticides. Its anti-foaming properties, when added in small amounts to water, are used in textile dyeing.
- Much of the produced 2-Ethylhexanol is used in the production of phthalic acid-based softeners as an esterification agent.