Petrochemicals are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as maize, palm fruit or sugar cane.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG; ) is a polyether compound with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular weight. The structure of PEG is commonly expressed as H−(O−CH2−CH2)n−OH.
Ethylene oxide, called oxirane by IUPAC, is an organic compound with the formula C
2H
4O. It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless and flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor. Because it is a strained ring, ethylene oxide easily participates in a number of addition reactions that result in ring-opening. Ethylene oxide is isomeric with acetaldehyde and with vinyl alcohol. Ethylene oxide is industrially produced by oxidation of ethylene in the presence of silver catalyst.
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol. Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%. In chemistry, a tincture is a solution that has ethanol as its solvent. In herbal medicine, alcoholic tinctures are made with various ethanol concentrations, 20% being the most common.
A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups. An aliphatic diol is also called a glycol. This pairing of functional groups is pervasive, and many subcategories have been identified.
Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used in hydraulic brake and hydraulic clutch applications in automobiles, motorcycles, light trucks, and some bicycles. It is used to transfer force into pressure, and to amplify braking force. It works because liquids are not appreciably compressible.
Dimethoxyethane, also known as glyme, monoglyme, dimethyl glycol, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dimethyl cellosolve, and DME, is a colorless, aprotic, and liquid ether that is used as a solvent, especially in batteries. Dimethoxyethane is miscible with water.
The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, also using the acronym NESHAP, are emission standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency—EPA. The standards are for air pollutants not covered by National Ambient Air Quality Standards—NAAQS, that may cause an increase in fatalities or in serious, irreversible, or incapacitating illness.
2-Butoxyethanol is an organic compound with the chemical formula BuOC2H4OH (Bu = CH3CH2CH2CH2). This colorless liquid has a sweet, ether-like odor, as it derives from the family of glycol ethers, and is a butyl ether of ethylene glycol. As a relatively nonvolatile, inexpensive solvent, it is used in many domestic and industrial products because of its properties as a surfactant. It is a known respiratory irritant and can be acutely toxic but animal studies did not find it to be mutagenic, and no studies suggest it is a human carcinogen. A study of 13 classroom air contaminants conducted in Portugal reported a statistically significant association with increased rates of nasal obstruction, the study also reported a positive association below the level of statistical significance with a higher risk of obese asthma and increased child BMI.
Glycol ethers are a group of solvents based on alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol commonly used in paints and cleaners. These solvents typically have a higher boiling point, together with the favorable solvent properties of lower-molecular weight ethers and alcohols. The word "Cellosolve" was registered in 1924 as a United States trademark by Carbide & Carbon Chemicals Corp. for "Solvents for Gums, Resins, Cellulose Esters, and the Like",; the first one was ethyl cellosolve, with the name now generic for glycol ethers.
2-Ethoxyethanol, also known by the trademark Cellosolve or ethyl cellosolve, is a solvent used widely in commercial and industrial applications. It is a clear, colorless, nearly odorless liquid that is miscible with water, ethanol, diethyl ether, acetone, and ethyl acetate.
Diglyme, or bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether, is a solvent with a high boiling point. It is an organic compound which is the dimethyl ether of diethylene glycol. It is a colorless liquid with a slight ether-like odor. It is miscible with water as well as organic solvents.
Kolliphor EL, formerly known as Cremophor EL, is the registered trademark of BASF Corp. for its version of polyethoxylated castor oil. It is prepared by reacting 35 moles of ethylene oxide with each mole of castor oil. The resulting product is a mixture : the major component is the material in which the hydroxyl groups of the castor oil triglyceride have ethoxylated with ethylene oxide to form polyethylene glycol ethers. Minor components are the polyethyelene glycol esters of ricinoleic acid, polyethyelene glycols and polyethyelene glycol ethers of glycerol. Kolliphor EL is a synthetic, nonionic surfactant used to stabilize emulsions of nonpolar materials in water.
Octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8) is a nonionic surfactant formed by the ethoxylation of dodecanol to give a material with 8 repeat units of ethylene glycol.
Pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5) is a nonionic surfactant formed by the ethoxylation of dodecanol to give a material with 5 repeat units of ethylene glycol.
Nonoxynols also known as nonaethylene glycol or polyethylene glycol nonyl phenyl ether are mixtures of nonionic surfactants used as detergents, emulsifiers, wetting agents or defoaming agents. The most commonly discussed compound nonoxynol-9 is a spermicide, formulated primarily as a component of vaginal foams and creams. Nonoxynol was found to metabolize into free nonylphenol when administered to lab animals. Arkopal-N60, with on average 6 ethylene glycol units is a related used surfactant.
Propylene glycol methyl ether acetate is a P-type glycol ether used in inks, coatings, and cleaners. It is sold by Dow Chemical under the name Dowanol PMA, by Shell Chemical under the name methyl proxitol acetate, and by Eastman under the name PM Acetate.
Propylene glycol methyl ether is an organic solvent with a wide variety of industrial and commercial uses. Similar to other glycol ethers, it is used as a carrier/solvent in printing/writing inks and paints/coatings. It also finds use as an industrial and commercial paint stripper. It is used as an antifreeze in diesel engines.
Di(propylene glycol) methyl ether is an organic solvent with a variety of industrial and commercial uses. It finds use as a less volatile alternative to propylene glycol methyl ether and other glycol ethers. The commercial product is typically a mixture of four isomers.
Diethylene glycol butyl ether is an organic compound, one of several glycol ether solvents. It is a colorless liquid with a low odour and high boiling point. It is mainly used as a solvent for paints and varnishes in the chemical industry, household detergents, brewing chemicals and textile processing.
