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1777728 
Book/Book Chapter 
Butyl alcohols 
Billig, E 
2001 
John Wiley & Sons 
New York, NY 
Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 
393-402 
English 
is related to other part(s) 730490 Methylene chloride
Butyl alcohols encompass the four structurally isomeric 4-carbon alcohols of empirical formula C4H10O. One of these, 2-butanol, can exist in either the optically active R(–) or S(+) configuration or as a racemic (±) mixture. The butanols are all colorless, clear liquids at room temperature and atmospheric pressure with the exception of t-butyl alcohol which is a low melting solid; it also has a substantially higher water miscibility than the other three alcohols. The butanols undergo the typical reactions of the simple lower chain aliphatic alcohols. The principal commercial source of 1-butanol is n-butyraldehyde, obtained from the Oxo reaction of propylene. The largest-volume commercial derivatives of 1-butanol are n-butyl acrylate and methacrylate. These are used principally in emulsion polymers for latex paints, in textile applications and in impact modifiers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride). All four butanols are thought to have a generally low order of human toxicity. The C-4 alcohols are preferably stored in baked phenolic-lined steel tanks. However, plain steel tanks can also be employed. Storage under dry nitrogen is also recommended since it limits flammability hazards. 
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