What is the Difference Between Butyl Cellosolve and Butyl Carbitol

The key difference between butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol is that butyl cellosolve has one ether functional group, whereas butyl carbitol has two ether functional groups.

Butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol are important solvents that can be identified as glycol ethers. They have different chemical properties and uses.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Butyl Cellosolve  
3. What is Butyl Carbitol
4. Butyl Cellosolve vs Butyl Carbitol in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Butyl Cellosolve vs Butyl Carbitol

What is Butyl Cellosolve?

Butyl cellosolve or 2-butoxyethanol is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3CH2CH2CH3-O-C2H4OH. It occurs as a clear, colorless liquid having a sweet, ether-like odor. This substance is derived from the family of glycol ethers. We can identify it as a butyl ether of ethylene glycol.

This is a relatively nonvolatile and inexpensive solvent that is useful in many domestic and industrial products due to the surfactant properties it has. However, butyl cellosolve is considered as a respiratory irritant that can be acutely toxic. Moreover, this compound is miscible with water and in most organic solvents as well.

Commonly, we can prepare butyl cellosolve in two pathways: (1) ethoxylation reaction of butanol and ethylene oxide in the presence of a catalyst, (2) etherification of butanol with 2-chloroethanol. Moreover, we can obtain this compound in the laboratory by the performance of a ring-opening of 2-propyl-1,3-dioxloane in the presence of boron trichloride.

When considering the uses of butyl cellosolve, it is mainly useful as a solvent for paints and surface coatings, as an ingredient in cleaning products and inks, acrylic resin formulations, asphalt release agents, photographic strip solutions, firefighting foam, leather protectors, oil spill dispersants, degreaser applications, etc.

What is Butyl Carbitol?

Butyl carbitol or DEG monobutyl ether is an organic compound having the chemical formula C8H18O3. It appears as a colorless, clear liquid that is soluble in water, ethanol, ethyl ether, and acetone.

It can be identified as one of the several glycol ether solvents. It has a slight odor and a high boiling point. Butyl carbitol can be prepared by the reaction of ethylene oxide and n-butanol with an alkali catalyst.

Butyl carbitol can be used as a solvent for many products such as paints, varnishes, household detergents, and brewing chemicals; in pesticide products, it acts as an inert ingredient as a deactivator for the formulation before the crop emerges from the soil and as a stabilizer. Furthermore, it is a useful intermediate for the synthesis of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate.

What is the Difference Between Butyl Cellosolve and Butyl Carbitol?

There are different chemical properties of butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol, which makes them have different applications as well. The key difference between butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol is that the butyl cellosolve has one ether functional group whereas the butyl carbitol has two ether functional groups.

The below infographic presents the differences between butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Butyl Cellosolve vs Butyl Carbitol

Butyl cellosolve or 2-butoxyethanol is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3CH2CH2CH3-O-C2H4OH. Meanwhile, butyl carbitol or DEG monobutyl ether is an organic compound having the chemical formula C8H18O3. The key difference between butyl cellosolve and butyl carbitol is that the butyl cellosolve has one ether functional group, whereas the butyl carbitol has two ether functional groups.

Reference:

1. “Butyl Carbitol.” Solventis.

Image Courtesy:

1. “2-butoxyethanol structure” By Liledeman – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol 200” By Emeldir (talk) – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
3. “Diethylene glycol butyl ether bottle” By ECTran71 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia