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Uses for Isopropyl Ether

Isopropyl ether is a colorless liquid with a distinctive sweet smell. It is an organic or carbon-based molecule, and it is an ether. This means that there is a central oxygen atom holding together two other groups of atoms. The oxygen atom forms bonds with both groups. In the isopropyl ether molecule, the two groups that the oxygen atom is holding together are both isopropyl groups. Isopropyl ether is sometimes called diisopropyl ether, isopropyl oxide or 2-isopropoxy propane. Isopropyl ether has a myriad of applications both in chemical laboratories and industries.

  1. Industrial Use

    • Many types of industries use isopropyl ether. It is a component of many varnishes, paints and lacquers, for example. Chemical manufacturers also use it to synthesize and analyze chemicals. Both industrial and research chemists use isopropyl ether. The fuel industry uses isopropyl ether too. Isopropyl ether is a cheaper alternative to ethyl and petroleum in fat extractions. It is also convenient and time-saving.

    Solvent

    • The most common use of isopropyl ether is as a solvent. Oil based substances dissolve in it, so it is the base of many waxes, dyes, paints and resins. It also removes oily substances like varnish. Ethers are usually good solvents because they are not very reactive. This means that substances dissolved in isopropyl ether are unlikely to change.

    Use in Chromatography

    • Chemists often use isopropyl ether as a solvent in chromatography (a process in which a chemical mixture carried by a liquid or gas is separated into components as a result of differential distribution of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase). In liquid chromatography, the substance undergoing analysis travels through a liquid. Isopropyl ether is often the solvent through which the substance moves. Therefore, the chromatographic analysis which uses isopropyl ether as a solvent can separate out different components of petroleum.

    Other Uses

    • Isopropyl alcohol also finds its uses in metallurgy. It can recover desirable substances and remove undesirable ones. For example, isopropyl ether is a good extraction agent for recovering gold from a nitric acid solution. Isopropyl ether is sometimes also used in organic synthesis; for example, organic chemicals can be reacted together in order to create different types of chemicals. Isopropyl ether is commonly reacted with acids. Isopropyl ether is a useful fuel additive because adding isopropyl ether to gasoline increases the octane level.

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