Petroleum ether
Mixture of alkanes from oil
Petroleum ether is the petroleum fraction consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and boiling in the range 35-60 °C, and commonly used as a laboratory solvent. Despite the name, petroleum ether is not an ether.
01Properties
Petroleum ether consists mainly of aliphatic hydrocarbons and is usually low in aromatics. It is commonly hydrodesulfurized and may be hydrogenated to reduce the amount of aromatic and other unsaturated hydrocarbons.
02Standards
DIN 51630 has an initial boiling point above 25 °C, and its final boiling point up to 80 °C.
03Safety
Fires should be fought with foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemical or carbon tetrachloride.
The naphtha mixtures that are distilled at a lower boiling temperature have a higher volatility and, generally speaking, a higher degree of toxicity than the higher boiling fractions.
Inhalation overexposure causes primarily central nervous system (CNS) effects (headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and incoordination). In general, the toxicity is more pronounced with petroleum ethers containing higher concentrations of aromatic compounds. n-Hexane causes axonal damage in peripheral nerves.
Skin contact can cause allergic contact dermatitis.
Petroleum-derived distillates have not been shown to be carcinogenic in humans. Petroleum ether degrades rapidly in soil and water.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Petroleum ether”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Petroleum ether.JPG by Seilvorbau, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.