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What is 1,2-dimethyloxyethane?

Sep 16，2021

1,2-dimethyloxyethane, also known as glyme, monoglyme, dimethyl glycol, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dimethyl cellosolve, and DME, is a colorless, aprotic, and liquid ether that is used as a solvent, especially in batteries.1,2-dimethyloxyethane is miscible with water.

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Solubility

Miscible with water, methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, benzene and toluene.

Production

Monoglyme is produced industrially by the reaction of dimethylether with ethylene oxide:

CH3OCH3 + CH2CH2O → CH3OCH2CH2OCH3

Applications

Applications as solvent and ligand

Together with a high-permittivity solvent (e.g. propylene carbonate), 1,2-dimethyloxyethane is used as the low-viscosity component of the solvent for electrolytes of lithium batteries. In the laboratory, DME is used as a coordinating solvent.

1,2-dimethyloxyethane is often used as a higher boiling alternative to diethyl ether and THF. 1,2-dimethyloxyethane acts as a bidentate ligand for some metal cations. It is therefore often used in organometallic chemistry. Grignard reactions and hydride reductions are typical application. It is also suitable for palladium-catalyzed reactions including Suzuki reactions and Stille couplings. 1,2-dimethyloxyethane is also a good solvent for oligo- and polysaccharides.

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