Butyl glycol is known as BG, 2-butoxyethanol, glycol monobutyl ether and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. It is a glycol ether with moderate surfactant properties, which can be used as a solvent. In fact, butyl glycol is a natural alcohol that is extracted from petroleum. This compound is a colorless, water-soluble liquid that has a sweet, ether-like odor because it comes from the glycol ether family, and is an ether butyrate of ethylene glycol.

What is 2-butoxyethanol?

Since their use in the 1930s, glycol ethers are solvents that dissolve both water-soluble and hydrophobic materials. Glycol ethers consist of two components, alcohol, and ether. According to the nature of alcohol, molecules of this class can be divided into two groups: E series and P series, which correspond to ethylene and propylene, respectively. Glycol ethers are chosen for specific purposes such as solubility, flammability, and volatility.

2-Butoxyethanol is miscible in water and dissolves in most organic solvents. This substance is known as a relatively non-volatile and inexpensive solvent. Also, due to its properties as a surfactant, it is used in many household and industrial products.

In sensitive individuals, 2-butoxyethanol may be irritating to the skin, eyes, or nasal passages, but it is the least irritating of the glycols. In fact, this glycol is not associated with any specific organ toxicity and, unlike ethylene glycol, is not considered carcinogenic.

Table of technical specifications of 2-butoxyethanol