BUTYL ALCOHOL

any of four organic compounds having the same molecular formula, C4H9OH, but different structures: normal (n-) butyl alcohol, secondary butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, and tertiary butyl alcohol. All have numerous industrial applications. n-Butyl alcohol is a solvent for lacquers, resins, and other coatings and a component of hydraulic brake fluids. Large quantities are converted to esters: the acetate is a lacquer solvent; the phthalate, a plasticizer. Secondary butyl alcohol is used chiefly in the manufacture of methyl ethyl ketone, a useful solvent. Isobutyl alcohol is interchangeable in many uses with n-butyl alcohol and has been cheaper since large-scale production began in the early 1950s. Tertiary butyl alcohol is the least important; it is used in making fine chemicals and as a denaturing agent for ethyl alcohol. Commercial n-butyl alcohol is made by fermentation of corn or molasses or from acetaldehyde by a series of reactions. Secondary butyl alcohol is produced from butenes by absorption in sulfuric acid followed by hydrolysis; tertiary butyl alcohol is similarly produced from isobutylene. Isobutyl alcohol can be made by reduction of isobutyraldehyde.