2-Ethylhexanoic acid

Synonyms

Butylethylacetic acid; 2-Butylbutanoic acid; 2-Ethylcaproic acid; 2-Ethylhexansaeure; 2-Ethylhexoic acid; 3-Heptanecarboxylic acid; Ethyl hexanoic acid; Ethylhexanoic acid; Ethylhexoic acid; Hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-; Kyselina 2-ethylkapronova [Czech]; Kyselina heptan-3-karboxylova [Czech]; alpha-Ethylcaproic acid; [ChemIDplus]

Category

Organic Acids

Description

Clear liquid with a mild odor; [HSDB] Colorless to light yellow liquid; [CAMEO]

Sources/Uses

Used as a chemical intermediate for many products; Approximately 400 workers in US manufacturing are potentially exposed; Used in alkyd resins; Used in the mid-1980s as a wood preservative to replace chlorophenols; [ACGIH] Used to make plasticizers, lubricants, detergents, flotation aids, corrosion inhibitors, and alkyd resins; Also used as a co-solvent and defoamer in pesticides, as the active ingredient in the wood preservative Sinesto B (not used in the US), in paint dryers, heat stabilizers for PVC, and as a catalyst for polyurethane foaming, solvent extraction, and dye granulation; [HSDB] Not found in any pesticide products registered in the US; [NPRIS]

Comments

Corrosive to skin; [Quick CPC] High inhalation exposure can cause pulmonary edema; Causes liver changes in feeding studies of rats and mice; [HSDB] The TLV is based on teratogenic effects in animal studies. [ACGIH] May cause second-degree skin burns following short-term contact; Vapors cause severe eye and throat irritation (and possibly eye and lung injury) and are intolerable even at low concentrations; Inhalation may cause chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema; [CHRIS] A mild skin irritant; May cause severe eye and mucous membrane irritation; [Alfa Aesar MSDS]

Biomedical References

Insufficient data

5 mg/m3, inhalable fraction and vapor

0.03 mm Hg

LC (rat) > 400 ppm/6hr

Explanatory Notes

Flash point = 118 deg C; [ACGIH] VP from HSDB;

must be preheated

Yes

Hepatoxic (a) from occupational exposure (secondary effect) or (b) in animal studies or in humans after ingestion

Yes

Skin burns

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Applying Wood Preservatives