2-Butanol

Overview IFRA Botanical Request a quote

  • Identifiers

    CAS number
    78-92-2

    Molecular formula
    C4H10O

    SMILES
    CCC(C)O

    Safety labels

    Flammable
    Flammable

    Irritant
    Irritant

    Retention indicies (RI)

    • Carbowax: 1022.86

  • Odor profile

    Fruity 83.19%
    Fermented 73.91%
    Alcoholic 73.34%
    Ethereal 73.14%
    Sweet 69.5%
    Solvent 67.27%
    Winey 63.57%
    Oily 58.53%
    Musty 49.14%
    Pungent 45.46%

    Scent© AI

    Odor threshold>

    • Odor Threshold Low: 0.12 [mmHg]. Odor Threshold High: 13.8 [mmHg]. Detection odor threshold from AIHA (mean = 3.2 ppm)
    • 43 ppm
    • Odor threshold 131.1500 mg/cu m (low) 131.1500 mg/cu m (high).

  • Properties

    XLogP3-AA
    0.6

    Molecular weight
    74.12 g/mol

    Vapor pressure est.

    • hPa @ 20°C
    • hPa @ 25°C

    Evaporation rate
    Ultra fast

    Melting point expt.

    • -175 °F (NIOSH, 2024)
    • -114.7 °C
    • -114 °C
    • -115 °C
    • -175 °F

    Boiling point

    • 211 °F at 760 mmHg (NIOSH, 2024)
    • 99.5 °C
    • 99.50 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
    • 100 °C
    • 211 °F

    Flash point est.
    16.46 ˚C

    Flash point expt.

    • 75 °F (NIOSH, 2024)
    • 75 °F
    • 24 °C (75 °F) (closed cup)
    • 31 °C (open cup) /dl-2-butanol/
    • 24 °C c.c.

    Solubility expt.

    • 16 % (NIOSH, 2024)
    • 181000 mg/L (at 25 °C)
    • 125,000 mg/l water at 20 °C
    • Sol in 12 parts water; miscible with alcohol and ether
    • Very soluble in acetone; miscible in ethanol and ethyl ether
    • In water, 181,000 mg/l @ 25 °C
    • 181 mg/mL at 25 °C
    • Solubility in water, g/100ml at 25 °C: ≈21 (good)
    • 16%

  • Synonyms

    • 2-Butanol
    • sec-Butanol
    • Butan-2-ol
    • 78-92-2
    • SEC-BUTYL ALCOHOL
    • 2-Hydroxybutane
    • 2-Butyl alcohol
    • Butylene hydrate
    • 1-Methyl-1-propanol
    • 1-Methylpropyl alcohol
    • s-Butyl alcohol
    • Methyl ethyl carbinol
    • s-Butanol
    • Ethyl methyl carbinol
    • Butanol secondaire
    • Butanol-2
    • 1-Methyl propanol
    • Methylethylcarbinol
    • Ethylmethyl carbinol
    • Butyl alcohol, sec-
    • Alcool butylique secondaire
    • Methylethyl carbinol
    • (+/-)-2-Butanol
    • CCS 301
    • 2-Butanol (natural)
    • Caswell No. 119C
    • DL-sec-Butanol
    • MFCD00004569
    • NSC 25499
    • HSDB 674
    • (1)-Butan-2-ol
    • 15892-23-6
    • UNII-0TUL3ENK62
    • Butanol secondaire [French]
    • EINECS 201-158-5
    • EINECS 240-029-8
    • 0TUL3ENK62
    • DL-2-Butanol
    • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 001502
    • n-Butan-2-ol
    • BRN 0773649
    • S.B.A.
    • DTXSID9021762
    • CHEBI:35687
    • sec-C4H9OH
    • AI3-24189
    • secondary butyl alcohol
    • 3-BUTANOL
    • Alcool butylique secondaire [French]
    • NSC-25499
    • DTXCID101762
    • EC 201-158-5
    • 2-01-00-00400 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
    • 2-BUTANOL, (+/-)-
    • 2-Butanol, anhydrous
    • Butanol secondaire (French)
    • 2-Butylalcohol
    • Alcool butylique secondaire (French)
    • 2-Butanol, (R)-
    • sec-Butyl Alcohol, (R)-(-)-
    • s-Butylalkohol
    • sec.-butanol
    • secondary butanol
    • D-sec-Butanol
    • L-sec-Butanol
    • rac-2-butanol
    • butane-2-ol
    • methylpropan-2-ol
    • racemic-2-butanol
    • sec-BuOH
    • rac-butan-2-ol
    • 2-deuteriooxybutane
    • sec. butyl alcohol
    • sec.-butyl alcohol
    • s-BuOH
    • DL-Butan-2-ol
    • dl-Methylethylcarbinol
    • Butane, 2-hydroxy-
    • S(+)-2-butanol
    • 2-Butanol, CP grade
    • 2-Butanol, (S)-
    • 2-Butanol, 99%
    • (+/-)butan-2-ol
    • .+/-.-2-Butanol
    • 2-Butanol, >=99%
    • Pesticide Code: 001502
    • 2-BUTANOL [USP-RS]
    • CHEMBL45462
    • 2-Butanol, analytical standard
    • Propyl, 1-hydroxy-1-methyl-
    • 2-butanol (sec-butyl alcohol)
    • WLN: QY2&1
    • SEC-BUTYL ALCOHOL [MI]
    • ASTM D3606 2-Butanol IS
    • 2-Butanol, (.+/-.)-
    • BDBM36157
    • 2-Butanol, anhydrous, 99.5%
    • SEC-BUTYL ALCOHOL [HSDB]
    • SEC-BUTYL ALCOHOL DL-FORM
    • 2-Butanol, p.a., 99.0%
    • DTXSID501310231
    • DCA71661
    • NSC25499
    • Tox21_201092
    • BBL011463
    • STL146575
    • AKOS000249480
    • AKOS016352938
    • 2-Butanol, ReagentPlus(R), >=99%
    • FB34693
    • SB83819
    • CAS-78-92-2
    • SEC-BUTYL ALCOHOL DL-FORM [MI]
    • NCGC00090743-01
    • NCGC00090743-02
    • NCGC00258644-01
    • 2-Butanol 100 microg/mL in Acetonitrile
    • SY050112
    • 2-Butanol, SAJ first grade, >=98.0%
    • 2-Butanol, JIS special grade, >=99.0%
    • DB-016763
    • DB-239823
    • B0705
    • NS00005548
    • EN300-19306
    • Q209332
    • 2DD92146-ED3E-446F-8B14-A7DB1F14EF8C
    • 2-Butanol, puriss. p.a., Reag. Ph. Eur., >=99.5% (GC)

  • Applications

    2-Butanol (sec-butanol, CAS 78-92-2) is a volatile secondary alcohol used mainly as a solvent and industrial intermediate: it dissolves nitrocellulose, alkyd, epoxy and polyurethane resins as well as oils and waxes, making it useful in paints, varnishes, printing inks, adhesives and surface finishes; it serves as a solvent/coupling agent in certain industrial cleaners and metal-maintenance formulations; it is esterified to 2-butyl acetate and other sec-butyl esters that are efficient solvents, and it is dehydrogenated/oxidized to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK); it is employed as a building block and process solvent in pharmaceutical and agrochemical synthesis; it is occasionally used as a medium in polymerization to tune resin viscosity and molecular weight; and in laboratories it finds use as a solvent/additive for extraction and crystallization and for preparing sec-butyl derivatives (e.g., esters) for chromatographic analysis, while enantiopure 2-butanol can act as a chiral modifier/building block in asymmetric procedures; across these applications, management of VOC emissions, flammability, odor and occupational exposure limits is typically required.

  • Solubility @25˚C

    Solvent Solubility (g/L)
    ethanol 1183.41
    methanol 1321.22
    isopropanol 872.58
    water 38.36
    ethyl acetate 225.61
    n-propanol 880.48
    acetone 304.83
    n-butanol 831.45
    acetonitrile 326.84
    DMF 331.02
    toluene 48.94
    isobutanol 529.63
    1,4-dioxane 378.73
    methyl acetate 236.04
    THF 603.08
    2-butanone 263.73
    n-pentanol 475.5
    sec-butanol 719.1
    n-hexane 95.07
    ethylene glycol 377.58
    NMP 296.78
    cyclohexane 66.01
    DMSO 306.46
    n-butyl acetate 240.37
    n-octanol 236.71
    chloroform 494.57
    n-propyl acetate 140.86
    acetic acid 797.53
    dichloromethane 302.69
    cyclohexanone 304.22
    propylene glycol 576.08
    isopropyl acetate 136.56
    DMAc 265.78
    2-ethoxyethanol 445.34
    isopentanol 505.55
    n-heptane 89.99
    ethyl formate 194.35
    1,2-dichloroethane 158.49
    n-hexanol 580.04
    2-methoxyethanol 820.77
    isobutyl acetate 87.71
    tetrachloromethane 158.1
    n-pentyl acetate 149.91
    transcutol 801.08
    n-heptanol 272.44
    ethylbenzene 32.12
    MIBK 120.73
    2-propoxyethanol 592.2
    tert-butanol 753.26
    MTBE 274.34
    2-butoxyethanol 377.39
    propionic acid 594.18
    o-xylene 44.73
    formic acid 398.54
    diethyl ether 275.7
    m-xylene 39.81
    p-xylene 45.14
    chlorobenzene 88.89
    dimethyl carbonate 42.08
    n-octane 28.9
    formamide 305.23
    cyclopentanone 363.59
    2-pentanone 227.59
    anisole 85.49
    cyclopentyl methyl ether 228.96
    gamma-butyrolactone 351.23
    1-methoxy-2-propanol 575.29
    pyridine 245.89
    3-pentanone 143.16
    furfural 297.02
    n-dodecane 18.68
    diethylene glycol 479.89
    diisopropyl ether 74.49
    tert-amyl alcohol 618.02
    acetylacetone 150.67
    n-hexadecane 18.85
    acetophenone 75.1
    methyl propionate 166.59
    isopentyl acetate 176.37
    trichloroethylene 266.26
    n-nonanol 195.63
    cyclohexanol 382.32
    benzyl alcohol 133.98
    2-ethylhexanol 288.84
    isooctanol 195.48
    dipropyl ether 197.96
    1,2-dichlorobenzene 74.54
    ethyl lactate 105.54
    propylene carbonate 186.32
    n-methylformamide 326.05
    2-pentanol 466.75
    n-pentane 92.5
    1-propoxy-2-propanol 447.88
    1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate 160.07
    2-(2-methoxypropoxy) propanol 220.85
    mesitylene 27.43
    ε-caprolactone 270.54
    p-cymene 44.78
    epichlorohydrin 283.93
    1,1,1-trichloroethane 188.47
    2-aminoethanol 747.25
    morpholine-4-carbaldehyde 320.59
    sulfolane 305.83
    2,2,4-trimethylpentane 43.29
    2-methyltetrahydrofuran 451.8
    n-hexyl acetate 201.44
    isooctane 26.54
    2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol 362.54
    sec-butyl acetate 89.43
    tert-butyl acetate 130.85
    decalin 26.14
    glycerin 577.54
    diglyme 417.66
    acrylic acid 451.05
    isopropyl myristate 70.19
    n-butyric acid 688.47
    acetyl acetate 110.71
    di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate 74.28
    ethyl propionate 106.85
    nitromethane 418.19
    1,2-diethoxyethane 217.1
    benzonitrile 137.67
    trioctyl phosphate 67.16
    1-bromopropane 164.99
    gamma-valerolactone 388.03
    n-decanol 139.27
    triethyl phosphate 57.83
    4-methyl-2-pentanol 210.9
    propionitrile 323.06
    vinylene carbonate 150.6
    1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane 379.97
    DMS 78.32
    cumene 31.68
    2-octanol 171.8
    2-hexanone 164.97
    octyl acetate 102.76
    limonene 81.17
    1,2-dimethoxyethane 364.92
    ethyl orthosilicate 65.24
    tributyl phosphate 73.76
    diacetone alcohol 248.68
    N,N-dimethylaniline 62.29
    acrylonitrile 304.99
    aniline 170.02
    1,3-propanediol 785.57
    bromobenzene 62.8
    dibromomethane 237.67
    1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane 259.96
    2-methyl-cyclohexyl acetate 105.65
    tetrabutyl urea 83.93
    diisobutyl methanol 120.97
    2-phenylethanol 151.24
    styrene 43.85
    dioctyl adipate 91.91
    dimethyl sulfate 59.91
    ethyl butyrate 145.88
    methyl lactate 146.64
    butyl lactate 154.82
    diethyl carbonate 76.76
    propanediol butyl ether 358.51
    triethyl orthoformate 106.92
    p-tert-butyltoluene 44.42
    methyl 4-tert-butylbenzoate 109.53
    morpholine 554.26
    tert-butylamine 502.16
    n-dodecanol 100.66
    dimethoxymethane 166.0
    ethylene carbonate 135.69
    cyrene 137.38
    2-ethoxyethyl acetate 146.46
    2-ethylhexyl acetate 134.71
    1,2,4-trichlorobenzene 89.22
    4-methylpyridine 194.71
    dibutyl ether 165.29
    2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol 120.97
    DEF 216.22
    dimethyl isosorbide 207.6
    tetrachloroethylene 235.51
    eugenol 135.99
    triacetin 133.47
    span 80 278.9
    1,4-butanediol 302.71
    1,1-dichloroethane 219.17
    2-methyl-1-pentanol 336.3
    methyl formate 165.29
    2-methyl-1-butanol 492.04
    n-decane 34.15
    butyronitrile 368.32
    3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol 199.19
    1-chlorooctane 84.78
    1-chlorotetradecane 33.95
    n-nonane 36.15
    undecane 23.86
    tert-butylcyclohexane 32.74
    cyclooctane 23.07
    cyclopentanol 491.38
    tetrahydropyran 423.55
    tert-amyl methyl ether 199.81
    2,5,8-trioxanonane 287.35
    1-hexene 194.04
    2-isopropoxyethanol 297.15
    2,2,2-trifluoroethanol 228.59
    methyl butyrate 153.5

    Scent© AI

1 4

IFRA standard 51

Recommendation
No restriction
Maximum acceptable concentrations in the finished product (%)
Category 1
Products applied to the lips
 No restriction Category 7A
Rinse-off products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 2
Products applied to the axillae
 No restriction Category 7B
Leave-on products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 3
Products applied to the face/body using fingertips
 No restriction Category 8
Products with significant anogenital exposure
 No restriction
Category 4
Products related to fine fragrance
 No restriction Category 9
Products with body and hand exposure, primarily rinse off
 No restriction
Category 5A
Body lotion products applied to the body using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10A
Household care products with mostly hand contact
 No restriction
Category 5B
Face moisturizer products applied to the face using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10B
Household care products with mostly hand contact, including aerosol/spray products (with potential leave-on skin contact)
 No restriction
Category 5C
Hand cream products applied to the hands using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 11A
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate without UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 5D
Baby Creams, baby Oils and baby talc
 No restriction Category 11B
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate with potential UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 6
Products with oral and lip exposure
 No restriction Category 12
Products not intended for direct skin contact, minimal or insignificant transfer to skin
 No restriction

Botanical

Name CAS Botanical Proportion
Satsuma mandarin peel 1 Citrus unshiu Marcovitch, fam. Rutaceae 0.01%
Truffle, black (Perigord) Tuber melanosporum, fam. Ascomycetae 0.5%
Rose (Bulgaria) 2 8007-01-0 Rosa damascena Mill., fam. Rosaceae 0.01%
Truffle, white (Italy) Tuber magnatum Pico, fam. Ascomycetae 0.3%
Rose (Turkey) 4 8007-01-7 Rosa damascena Mill., fam. Rosaceae 0.19%
Rose (Turkey) 5 8007-01-0 Rosa damascena Mill., fam. Rosaceae 0.02%
Tulip sylvestre Tulipa sylvestris L., fam. Liliaceae 0.09%
Carob bean powder 2a raw 9000-40-2 Ceratonia siliqua L., fam. Leguminoseae 0.04%
Carob bean powder 2b roasted 9000-40-2 Ceratonia siliqua L., fam. Leguminoseae 0.04%
Pineapple pulp Ananas comosus (L.) Merr., fam. Bromeliaceae 0.39%
Geneps fruit (Cuba) Melicocca bijuga L., fam. Sapindaceae 0.3%
Mango (Cameroon) headspace of ripe fruit 90063-86-0 Mangifera indica L., fam. Anacardiaceae 0.01%
Papaya (Cameroon) headspace of ripe fruit Carica papaya L., 0.01%