2-Propanol is also called isopropanol, and IUPAC name is 1-methylethanol. It is a colorless, flammable liquid with a strong odor under normal temperature and pressure, with a molecular formula of C3H8O. Isopropyl alcohol is the simplest secondary alcohol and one of the isomers of propanol.
Properties
Isopropyl alcohol is miscible with water, alcohol, ether and chloroform . It dissolves ethyl cellulose, polyvinyl butyral, many oils, alkaloids, gums and natural resins. Unlike ethanol or methanol, it is insoluble in saline solutions. Therefore, isopropyl alcohol can be separated by adding salt, such as sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, or any other several inorganic salts to the aqueous solution. This is because isopropyl alcohol is not very soluble in salt water solution. This process is commonly known as salting. Analysis can concentrate the isopropyl alcohol and separate it into different layers. When isopropyl alcohol azeotropes with water at a concentration of 87.7% by weight (91% by volume), its boiling point is 80.37°C (176.67°F). The water-isopropyl alcohol mixture has lower melting and boiling points than the original pure substance.
Isopropyl alcohol is slightly bitter, but it is toxic and should not be consumed. Isopropyl alcohol becomes more viscous as the temperature decreases. At temperatures below −70 °C (−94 °F), isopropyl alcohol has a consistency similar to maple syrup.
reaction
Isopropyl alcohol can be oxidized to acetone by using an oxidizing agent (such as chromic acid, potassium dichromate) or by passing isopropyl alcohol over a heated copper catalyst to dehydrogenate:
(CH3)2CHOH → (CH3)2CO + H2
Isopropanol is often used as a chemical in the Myrwein–Pondorff–Verlay reduction reaction and other transfer hydrogenation reactions (Transfer hydrogenation), which is then oxidized to acetone. Isopropyl alcohol can be converted into 2-bromopropane using phosphorus tribromide, or dehydrated to propylene by heating with sulfuric acid.
Uses
The vast majority of isopropyl alcohol is used as a solvent or cleaning agent in coatings or industrial production processes (such as cleaning impurities from semiconductor chips), especially For pharmaceutical applications, it is considered low in any residual toxicity. Some isopropyl alcohol is used as a chemical intermediate. Isopropyl alcohol can be converted to acetone, but the cumene method is more commonly used. It can also be used as a gasoline additive.
