General Description
A colorless liquid. Less dense than water and insoluble in water. Flash point between 75-140°F. Used to make plastics and as a solvent.
Reactivity Profile
Vigorous reactions, sometimes amounting to explosions, can result from the contact between aromatic hydrocarbons, such as BUTYL BENZENE, and strong oxidizing agents. They can react exothermically with bases and with diazo compounds. Substitution at the benzene nucleus occurs by halogenation (acid catalyst), nitration, sulfonation, and the Friedel-Crafts reaction.
Air & Water Reactions
Highly flammable. Insoluble in water.
Hazard
Toxic by ingestion.
Health Hazard
Inhalation or contact with material may irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
Chemical Properties
colourless liquid
Physical properties
Clear, colorless, liquid with a faint petroleum or gasoline-like odor similar to that of npropylbenzene.
Nagata and Takeuchi (1990) reported an odor threshold concentration 8.5 ppbv.
Uses
Butylbenzene undergoes oxidation to afford butyrophenone. It is used to prepare N-arylazoles via oxidant-free and selective C(sp2)-H amination reaction. It can be used in the synthesis of alkylated pentacene and ladder-type oligo(p-phenylene)s to improve solubility in common organic solvents.
Uses
Butylbenzene is used in the preparation of butyl-silica hybrid monolithic column.
Uses
n-Butylbenzene is an organic solvent that has been used to induce cell death in vitro and for bioconversion.
Definition
ChEBI: An alkylbenzene that is benzene substituted by a butyl group at position 1.
Source
No MCLGs or MCLs have been proposed (U.S. EPA, 1996).
Evaporation and/or dissolution of gasoline, naphtha, coal tar, and asphalt.
Identified as one of 140 volatile constituents in used soybean oils collected from a processing
plant that fried various beef, chicken, and veal products (Takeoka et al., 1996).
Purification Methods
Distil butylbenzene from sodium. Wash it with small portions of conc H2SO4 until the acid is no longer coloured, then with water and aqueous Na2CO3. Dry it ( MgSO4), and distil it twice from Na, collecting the middle fraction [Vogel J Chem Soc 607 1948]. [Beilstein 5 IV 1033.]
