| Chemical Properties | colourless liquid |
| Uses | 4-tert-Butyltoluene is used as pharmaceutical intermediate, Solvent for resins, intermediate in organic synthesis. It is an intermediate for the production of the acaricide pyridaben. |
| Preparation | Synthesis of 4-tert-butyltoluene: Put toluene in the reaction kettle, add catalyst, then add tert-butane chloride, after the reaction, wash with water and layer, and the organic layer is distilled to obtain the product. Alkylation of isobutylene and toluene in the presence of sulfuric acid can also be used to produce 4-tert-butyltoluene. |
| Synthesis Reference(s) | Synthetic Communications, 21, p. 1273, 1991 DOI: 10.1080/00397919108021046 |
| General Description | Clear colorless liquid with an aromatic gasoline-like odor. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Flammable. Insoluble in water. |
| Reactivity Profile | 4-tert-Butyltoluene may react with oxidizing materials. |
| Hazard | Toxic by inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. Eye and upper respiratory tract irritant. |
| Health Hazard | p-tert-Butyl toluene is an irritant of the mucous membranes, a central nervous system depressant and may cause cardiovascular and hematologic disturbances; chronic exposure in animals causes lung, brain, liver, and kidney damage. |
| Fire Hazard | 4-tert-Butyltoluene is combustible. |
| Safety Profile | Moderately toxic by inhalation and ingestion. A skin and human eye irritant. Human systemic effects by inhalation: nausea or vomiting, conjunctiva irritation, unspecified effects on the sense of taste. Inhalation of vapors causes irritation of lungs and depression of central nervous system. Prolonged exposure may result in damage to liver and kidneys. Flammable when exposed to heat or flame. Incompatible with oxidizing materials. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and fumes. |
| Carcinogenicity | p-tert-Butyl toluene was not mutagenic in a number of bacterial strains in the Ames assay with or without metabolic activation. |
| Purification Methods | A sample containing 5% of the meta-isomer is purified by selective mercuration. Fractional distillation of the solid arylmercuric acetate, after removal from the residual hydrocarbon, gives pure p-tert-butyltoluene [Stock & Brown J Am Chem Soc 81 5615 1959]. [Beilstein 5 H 439, 5 III 1003, 5 IV 1079.] |
China
