What is 4-Methyl-2-pentanone?

Identification

Product Name:    4-Methyl-2-pentanone

Synonyms:    4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE, FOR GC;4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE >=98.5% A.C.S. R&;4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE 99+% FCC;4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE, >=98.5%, A.C.S. REAGENT;METHYL ISOBUTYL KETONE GC STANDARD;Methyl-Iso-ButylKetoneGr;MethylIsobutylKetoneAcs;Methyl-Iso-ButylKetone(Iso-ButylMethylKetone)    

CAS:    108-10-1    

MF:    C6H12O    

MW:    100.16    

EINECS:    203-550-1

Properties

Melting point     -84 °C    

Boiling point     117-118 °C   

Density     0.801 g/mL at 25 °C(lit.)   

Vapor density     3.5 (vs air)   

Vapor pressure     15 mm Hg ( 20 °C)   

Refractive index     n20/D 1.395(lit.)   

FEMA     2731 | 4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE    

Fp     56 °F   

Storage temp.     2-8°C    

Solubility     water: soluble20g/L    

Form     Liquid    

Color     APHA: ≤15    

Odor    Pleasant; mild, characteristic; sharp; non-residual; ketonic.    

Odor Threshold    0.17ppm    

Explosive limit    1.2-8%, 93°F    

Water Solubility     17 g/L (20 ºC)    

General Description

Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) is a colorless liquid with a pleasant, sweet, fruity odor. The odor threshold can be as low as 0.10 ppm. It is 2% soluble in water by weight and with several other organic solvents. The lower explosive limit is 1.2% and the upper explosive limit is 8.0% at 200 °F. Methyl isobutyl ketone may be incompatible with strong oxidizers and potassium tert-butoxide. It occures naturally in orange and lemon juice, grape; vinegar, baked potato, papaya, ginger, wheat bread, cheeses, milk, cooked egg, roast chicken, cooked beef, lamb fat, pork liver, hop oil, beer, cognac, coffee, tea, plumcot, plum brandy, mush-room, trassi, sesame seed, buckwheat, wort, elder flower, Bourbon vanilla, clary and red sage, crab, clam and Chinese quince.

4-Methyl-2-pentanone (Methyl isobutyl ketone (MBK)) is an organic solvent widely used in various industrial applications, and exists as a clear colorless liquid with a pleasant odor. It is occasionally found as a volatile component of urine making it a biological marker of occupational exposure to this solvent. It is used as is used as a solvent for gums, resins, paints, varnishes, lacquers, and nitrocellulose. It acts as a precursor for the preparation of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylene diamine (6PPD), which finds application as an antiozonant in tires. Its aqueous solution serves as a developer for PMMA electron beam lithography resist.

Application

MBK may have been used as internal standard in GC/MS analysis for determining off-flavors in milk extracted using solid-phase microextraction, mass spectrometry, and multivariate analysis (SPME-MS-MVA). 4-Methyl-2-pentanone may be used as an analytical reference standard for the quantification of the analyte in hydro-alcoholic matrices using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection.

Methyl isobutyl ketone (hexone, isobutyl methyl ketone, 4-methyl-2-pentanone) is an organic solvent similar in structure and use to methyl butyl ketone. In addition to its use as a solvent for paints, lacquers, and varnishes, methyl isobutyl ketone is used in extraction processes and as a denaturant for rubbing alcohol. As a beverage additive, methyl isobutyl ketone is also used as a synthetic flavoring in some varieties of rum, candy, and cheese. Unlike methyl butyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone has not been found to occur naturally.

Reactivity Profile

4-Methyl-2-pentanone is incompatible with caustic soda and other strong alkalis, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and other strong inorganic acids, amines and oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, perchloric acid and chromium trioxide. 4-Methyl-2-pentanone reacts violently with potassium tert-butoxide. 4-Methyl-2-pentanone reacts vigorously with reducing materials.

Health Hazard

MIBK exhibits low to moderate toxicity. It is more toxic than acetone. Exposureto 200 ppm can cause irritation of theeyes, mucous membranes, and skin. Prolonged skin contact can leach out fat fromthe skin. Exposure to high concentrationscan cause nausea, headache, and narcosis. Animal studies indicate that this compound could probably cause kidney damage,with symptoms of a heavier kidney, higherkidney-to-body weight ratio, and tubularnecrosis. An increase in liver weight wasnoted, too, associated with its exposure inanimal subjects. In male rats the effect wasobserved at 2000 ppm on 2 weeks’ exposure(6 hours/day) (Phillips et al. 1987). Otherthan for the male rat kidney effect, the levelsup to 1000 ppm for 14 weeks had no significant toxicological effect. In another study,exposure to 3000 ppm in rats and mice wasfound to cause increased liver and kidneyweights, decrease in food consumption, incidence of dead fetuses, and reduced fetal bodyweight (Tyl et al. 1987).

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