Butane What is isobutane? Isobutane (IUPAC name 2-methylpropane, also known as methylpropane) is an alkane that is isomers with (n-)butane,Chinese name is Isobutane. 聽 IUPAC recommended the traditional "isobutane" name in 1993, but changed it to 2-methylpropane in 2013. Because the No. 2 carbon is the only carbon in propane that can be connected to a methyl group without changing the main chain, it is often omitted "2-" and renamed as methyl propane. 聽 Isobutane is a colorless flammable gas at normal temperature and pressure. Melting point -159.4掳C. The boiling point is -11.73掳C. Slightly soluble in water, soluble in ethanol, ether, etc. It forms an explosive mixture with air, and the explosion limit is 1.9% to 8.4% (volume). Its vapor is heavier than air and can spread to a considerable distance at a lower place. 聽 The use of different isobutane content is different, high purity is mainly used for: (1) Aerosol Accelerator: Spray accelerator for all aerosol products (hairspray, insecticide, etc.). (2) Polyethylene polymerization agent and polyethylene foaming agent: when manufacturing polyethylene for plastics, the melting agent used in the polymerization tower (chemical reaction equipment); foaming agent for making foam. (3) Refrigerant: It can replace Freon used in refrigerators and household air conditioners. (4) High-octane gasoline: It is used as an additive for the production of high-grade gasoline (currently used in some regions in Europe and America) to reduce the popping sound of the engine of gasoline vehicles. (5) Used as fuel: Because of its low gasification temperature, it does not freeze at low temperatures and has no residual gas after use. It is used for the manufacture of fuel tanks in mountaineering and low temperature areas. Note: Some of the above products require high-purity (above 95%) isobutane according to their characteristics. 聽 There are four main ways for the chemical utilization of isobutane: (1) Alkylation is used to produce alkylated gasoline; dehydrogenation to isobutene; (2) Steam cracking to produce ethylene, propylene, etc.; (3) Co-oxidation of isobutane and propylene to produce propylene oxide and tert-butanol; (4) Production of butadiene from isobutane and formaldehyde (this technology has been industrialized in Russia). 聽 Domestic isobutane is mostly used for alkylation to produce vehicle fuel oil blending components except for direct use as civil fuel, and other chemical utilization methods are rarely used. The co-production of propylene oxide and tert-butanol by the co-oxidation method of isobutane and propylene has the advantage of no environmental pollution, but the investment is relatively high. However, the domestic production of propylene oxide generally adopts the chlorohydrin method, which is extremely polluting to the environment. Seriously, the advantage is that the investment is relatively small. 聽Butane website:http://www.julychem.com/butane/