Physical and Chemical Properties

1, 4-butanediol is a colorless oil liquid, flammable, melting point 20.1℃, boiling point 235℃,flash point (open cup) 121℃, relative density 1.0171（20/4℃), refractive index 1.4461, viscosity (25℃) 71.5mPa·s. It is hygroscopic, miscible with water, soluble in methanol, ethanol, acetone, slightly soluble in ether. The smell is bitter, but the taste is slightly sweet. With strong reactivity, it can carry out oxidation, dehydration, replacement, polymerization, amination, esterification, halogenation and other chemical reactions to produce a series of important chemical products.

1,4-butanediol Uses

• 1, 4-butanediol is an important organic chemical and fine chemical raw material, which is the basic raw material for the production of polybutanediol terephthalate (PBT) engineering plastics and PBT fiber. PBT plastic is one of the five most promising engineering plastics；

• 1,4-butanediol is the main raw material for the production of tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydrofuran is an important organic solvent. The PTMEG obtained by polymerization is the basic raw material for the production of high elasticity spandex (Lycra fiber). Spandex is mainly used in the production of high – class sportswear, swimming suits and other high elasticity knitwear；

• Gamma-butyrolactone, the downstream product of 1, 4-butanediol is the raw material for the production of 2-pyrrolidinone and N-Methylpyrrolidone products. From this, a series of high value-added products such as N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidinone and Polyvinylpyrrolidone are derived, which are widely used in the fields of pesticides, medicine and cosmetics.

• 1,4-butanediol is also widely used as solvent, pharmaceutical cosmetics, plasticizer, hardener, pesticide, herbicide, foam leather, fiber, engineering plastics and so on.

Manufacturing Process of 1,4-butanediol

1, 4-butynediol was prepared by acetylene and formaldehyde in the presence of catalyst, and then by catalytic hydrogenation to produce 1, 4-butanediol. It can also be prepared by the reaction of 1, 3-butadiene with acetic acid and oxygen through acetyl oxidation, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, etc.