Ethylene glycol butyl ether entered the chemical world in the early 20th century, born from the search for more effective, safer solvents during a time when both paints and cleaning industries were wrestling with big shifts in manufacturing. Early on, researchers stumbled on its unique blend of strong solvency and mildness compared to harsher cleaners. Factories and labs picked it up quickly after noticing it could handle grease, resins, and dyes with less health impact than older alternatives. The expansion of international chemical trade around the 1950s put this glycol ether on the global map, and its reputation kept growing as environmental and workplace safety conversations became louder.
Walk into any facility handling coatings, inks, or cleaners and you’ll recognize ethylene glycol butyl ether’s distinct odor and volatility. It combines the cleaning power of a full-blown solvent with enough gentleness for day-to-day use in an office cleaner. As a glycol ether, it tends to balance water and oil solubility, breaking down grime in ways that extend its usefulness beyond industrial applications. Formulators mix it into window sprays, latex paints, degreasers, and stamp pad inks. Daily exposure for most folks happens in household and janitorial settings, where performance and safety often clash and need a careful balancing act.
This chemical shows up as a colorless, slightly sweet-smelling liquid. Its boiling point sits near 171°C, meaning it can handle high temperatures without flashing off too quickly. The vapor pressure won’t blow you away, but care is still required in enclosed spaces. Lone molecules weigh about 118 grams per mole, and they don’t cling to water the way some other solvents do. Storage and handling workers learn quickly that it slips through gloves easily, calling for thicker protection. Ethylene glycol butyl ether is miscible with water, alcohols, and other ethers, which makes it valuable in formulations designed for both quick action and long-lasting effect.
Regulations shape every step, from tank labeling to shipping manifests. Container labels state its CAS number (111-76-2), approved uses, potential hazards, and first aid advice. Drum loads must carry flammable liquid warnings. Safety data sheets explain recommended exposure limits, mostly based on worker protection studies from OSHA and similar agencies. Industry groups outline purity specs, so buyers know they’re getting material free from excess water or heavy metals. In my own workplace, one missed spec on a batch shipment led to foaming and paint separation – pure materials keep lines running smoothly. GHS labeling reinforces hazards around inhalation and skin exposure, keeping buyers and users alert.
Large-scale producers rely on the ethoxylation of butanol with ethylene oxide. A controlled environment brings butanol and ethylene oxide together under alkaline conditions, with temperature and pressure high enough to drive the reaction but low enough to avoid runaway heat. This process came out of years spent perfecting yield and purity, and tweaking the reaction cut waste and cut byproducts to a minimum. You’ll find older patents describing vapor-phase reactions, but most modern facilities use carefully monitored liquid reactions to improve work safety and product consistency. Chemistry teams keep a close eye on byproduct formation to avoid waste disposal headaches.
Ethylene glycol butyl ether reacts with common acids and bases, forming esters and ethers that see use in fragrance and surfactant production. Exposure to strong oxidizers, like peroxides, can yield explosive reactions, so storage near bleach or peracetic acid is a no-go. In the lab, it often serves as a starting material for more complex ethers by additional ethoxylation, producing compounds with tailored solubility. Some specialty coatings require modified glycol ethers derived from this base, often chosen for better resistance to yellowing or for less odor. Selective reactions have created a library of related esters now found in food and fragrance applications, branching its impact outside chemistry alone.
Scan industry literature or supply catalogs and you’ll see names like 2-butoxyethanol, Butyl Cellosolve, or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Large chemical producers each adopt their own brand names; Dow’s “Butyl CELLOSOLVE” remains a legacy identifier. Regional naming conventions may trip up importers, but the CAS number pulls everything together for correct identification. Laboratory staff must double-check container labels to avoid confusion, since a missed synonym can lead to safety lapses or production slowdowns. In many safety guides, all synonyms warrant the same respect as the main name, reinforcing consistent handling.
Handling this chemical puts worker health front and center. Industrial hygiene teams focus on ventilation, dermal protection, and air monitoring. NIOSH and OSHA list exposure limits, based on hundreds of case studies linking excess exposure to headaches, nausea, and at high doses, red blood cell breakdown. Proper gear makes all the difference, from nitrile gloves to splash goggles. In cleanup operations, managing small spills can mean the difference between a minor irritation and a department-wide evacuation. Firefighting teams know to treat vapor clouds with extreme caution, since this glycol ether’s flash point allows it to ignite in hot environments where static discharge risk rises. Handling procedures don’t just protect health, but also guard against legal headaches from regulatory bodies if unsafe practices come to light.
Every building filled with office desks, school classrooms, and painted surfaces likely owes its appearance to ethylene glycol butyl ether. Window cleaners, latex paints, floor coatings, and inkjet printer fluids rely on its solvency and mild evaporation rate. Manufacturing teams value it for compatibility with resins, which show up in wood finishes and industrial coatings needing strong solvents that won’t destroy plastic components. Graphic arts embrace its consistency, knowing press runs will print cleanly without clogged nozzles or sticky paper jams. Some degreasers formulated for automotive use depend on this glycol ether’s delicate balance between aggressiveness and surface safety, especially in delicate engine components sensitive to harsher cleaners.
R&D teams at chemical makers work day in, day out refining this glycol ether’s performance and discovering new uses. Current projects push for glycol ethers less prone to skin absorption, by tweaking molecular size and polarity. Environmental research centers tackle its persistence in water and soil, studying breakdown rates to improve wastewater treatment practices. New blends with reduced volatility or enhanced biodegradability offer hope for greener cleaners and coatings, sparing both users and the environment. Improvements in detection and monitoring technology provide an edge, allowing tighter process control and earlier warnings if leaks develop. By listening closely to workers and end-users, researchers shape the evolution of the product, targeting everyday needs and long-term impact alike.
Lessons from toxicity studies have gone a long way toward shaping regulations and daily handling. Repeated high exposures in poorly ventilated spaces caused anemia and organ stress in animal studies, with similar but lower risks in human studies. Labs reported skin irritation and, with chronic misuse, nervous system effects. This evidence convinced safety committees worldwide to enforce stronger exposure limits and outline emergency response measures. Ongoing research explores subtler effects from low-dose exposure, since children and chemically-sensitive individuals often cross paths with products containing this glycol ether. Questions remain around its role as an indoor air contaminant, especially in tight buildings with little airflow.
Chemical producers see a crossroads ahead as trends push for safer, more eco-friendly ingredients. Substitution with less toxic glycol ethers, or blends based on plant-derived compounds, shapes the next decade’s direction. Laboratories actively search for drop-in replacements that match solubility and cleaning power, without leaving old hazards behind. Research into recycling processes and green chemistry brings new life to spent products, letting facilities reclaim and reuse instead of relying only on incineration or landfill. Expanding regulatory oversight in growing economies nudges supply chains toward higher standards across the board. As the world faces higher expectations for both performance and safety, ethylene glycol butyl ether’s story becomes a template for balancing innovation, protection, and responsibility in the chemical age.
Walk down the cleaning aisle at any grocery store and you’ll find a whole wall of sprays, wipes, and bottles promising to bust through grease and grime. One chemical secretly making all of that possible is ethylene glycol butyl ether. This tongue-twister hides in plain sight on ingredient labels, yet its job ends up everywhere. I’ve seen maintenance crews scrub kitchen floors with buckets full of unknowingly complicated formulas—most people never realize manufacturers count on ethylene glycol butyl ether to give a real cleaning boost.
This solvent stands out for breaking down oils and stubborn residues. No one likes sticky countertops or streaky windows. In my own house, the toughest battle is always the stovetop after a weekend of frying. Some cleaners just smear the grease around, but products with ethylene glycol butyl ether actually dissolve it, making the job less of a chore. Factories and janitors invest in solutions based on this chemical because it gets the job done quickly and tackles the spots that water alone barely touches. Industries like automotive, printing, and painting pick this solvent when they need to clean equipment, prep metal surfaces, or wipe away inks.
Ethylene glycol butyl ether pops up in more places than most people guess. Besides cleaning products, workers find it in paint strippers, varnishes, and stains. Its presence keeps coatings smooth and evenly spread, which people generally take for granted until faced with a streaky wall at home. Printer operators who handle large rolls of paper rely on this stuff to remove ink smears. Even the dry-cleaning world uses it for spot treatments on tough marks. Where streaks, grease, or ink threaten, this chemical waits behind the scenes.
There’s always another side. Too much of any solvent around the house or in the workplace raises health questions. Breathing the vapors or getting the chemical on your skin can lead to headaches, irritation, or worse over long periods. Some workers, especially in smaller print shops or auto shops without good ventilation, pay the price with nagging coughs or burning eyes at the end of the week. And a strong smell from mopped floors can linger and annoy everyone else, too. At home, overuse sends it down the drain and out into streams, possibly stressing waterways.
Switching to safer habits remains a smart move. The most important change is using products with clear safety instructions and strong ventilation, especially inside smaller spaces. For years I skipped reading labels, until a neighbor in the cleaning business showed me the right gloves and fans for even basic chores. At the workplace, industry managers can lean on water-based alternatives that work almost as well in many cases. Regular air checks and better education about what’s in the bucket or bottle not only help the crew, but also reduce the overall chemical load escaping outside. Trade groups and safety boards keep pushing for more honest labeling and tighter exposure standards, aiming for a balance between performance and safety people can live with.
Even for folks who never step in a factory or a cleaning closet, ethylene glycol butyl ether appears in more corners than we notice. The shine on a freshly mopped floor, the crisp streak-free window in the kitchen, or the clear label on a favorite bottle of paint all owe something to it. While it continues to help people keep things clean and smooth, thinking about smarter, safer ways to use strong chemicals like this benefits everyone—not just those reading a label in a supply closet.
Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether doesn’t pop up on most people’s radar, but the stuff is everywhere: household cleaners, paints, degreasers, and some industrial solvents. You might wash your kitchen floor or wipe down bathroom tiles with a product containing it, not even noticing the tiny font listing it on the label. The fact that it’s so common in our lives makes its reputation for being hazardous more concerning than many folks realize.
People often brush off the long, awkward names on product labels because they sound scientific and distant. My time working at an auto shop taught me respect for chemicals like this. After eight hours surrounded by strong-smelling cleaners, your eyes sting and your hands get dry even through gloves. The weird headaches and, sometimes, the choking cough late at night tell a story long before you crack a Material Safety Data Sheet.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether among chemicals that can cause both immediate and long-term harm. Skin contact and breathing in vapors often lead to irritation, headache, and nausea. With big enough exposures, there’s a risk for more serious problems—like liver or kidney issues. The World Health Organization also notes its role as a respiratory irritant and lists enough evidence from lab tests to keep anyone from getting too comfortable around it.
Factory workers, janitors, car detailers, and painters stand on the front line. It’s easy for managers to say, “Just use gloves and a mask,” but hours in poorly ventilated rooms and skimpy breaks mean people suck in more vapors than guidelines ever intend. Regulations exist, sure, but budgets and deadlines take priority in the real world. Even small shops cut corners—lack of fresh air, improper storage, outdated safety manuals—basically ignoring the slow damage this chemical inflicts over months or years.
Regular folks cleaning kitchens or repainting a bedroom also face risks. Most homes don’t have industrial fans, and there’s a natural urge to just get the job over with. Forgetting open windows, working late in tight bathrooms, or leaving half-used cleaner bottles open—all raise exposure in ways most people never think twice about.
Swapping in alternative cleaners works best when it doesn’t mean spending twice as much or scrubbing twice as long. There are safer product lines—some turn to vinegar-based solutions, others trust fragrance-free “green” brands. It’s not perfect, but cutting back exposure matters. Neighborhood shops and hardware stores could do more to teach people about safer swaps, not as a marketing ploy, but to keep customers healthy—and keep themselves from getting sick, too.
Laws and safety rules improve once people speak up about real-life health scares. Workers reporting headaches, coughs, or rashes often trigger inspections and change. Homeowners demanding clearer labels and transparency from manufacturers nudge things forward too. Small changes—opening windows, wearing sturdy gloves, reading labels—add up over time. Watching out for each other, whether at work or at home, remains the best protection against chemicals that don’t always show their teeth right away.
Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether, often seen in cleaners and paints, brings a strong punch. Not hard to see why details about its storage pop up in safety talks. This isn't vinegar or baking soda. We're looking at a liquid that evaporates fast and can light up with the right spark. In my time working with maintenance crews, a few simple storage tweaks have dodged more than one close call. That kind of track record doesn't pop up by accident.
No need for some high-tech vault. Think cool, dry, and shaded. Forget setting drums near heaters or sunny windows. I've seen barrels warp in summer, releasing fumes and causing headaches—literally and figuratively. The stuff needs solid airflow in the storage area to keep vapor from building. Older sheds with tight corners or blocked vents invite more risk than they're worth. I've tossed out more than one rusty, bulging container after a few months in a damp corner.
Here's where habits save lives. No hot work near these containers. Workers who smoke on breaks need a reminder: step away from the storage zone. Years ago, I watched a dropped tool spark as it hit metal shelving—no fire, but it came too close. Fire extinguishers better sit within arm's reach, specifically the type that actually puts out chemical fires, not just the everyday kind.
The original drum always does the job best. Old soda bottles or repurposed jugs might seem handy, but leaks sneak up, and the next person grabbing that bottle gets more than they bargained for. If you spot a drip, don't kick the can down the road. Soak it up with the right materials, and keep that area ventilated until every trace disappears. Training people on spotting and reporting leaks trumps printed rules on the wall.
Labels fade or peel off, so double-check every few months. I've scribbled fresh warnings with permanent markers when printers gave out. There’s no shame in putting bright stickers all over bottles—it prevents costly mix-ups and confusion, especially on hectic days. Some folks in warehouses get careless as pressure builds up to meet shifts, and that's exactly when accidents happen.
Nobody dreams about wearing splash goggles, but stories circulate for a reason. One colleague missed a week of work with a chemical burn because he shrugged off safety glasses. Decent gloves and eyewear don’t just tick boxes. Wash hands with soap right after handling the chemical, not just a quick rinse. Keep an extra set of coveralls nearby, so spills on clothes don’t follow you home. Having seen more than one worker admitted for careless handling, no shortcut feels worth it after the fact.
Spill kits make all the difference. It’s not enough to own them—the team should actually know how to use them. Routine practice drills may sound like overkill, but muscle memory pays off when nerves run high. Quick reaction and clear minds keep small spills from turning into something that heads the local news.
I’ve come across Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether plenty of times, especially on the ingredient lists of cleaning supplies and in laboratory settings. Staring at its chemical formula—C6H14O2—the details seem almost hidden, but there’s something quite practical about knowing what you’re working with. Most folks in the cleaning or painting trades know it better as 2-butoxyethanol, which makes it pop up under various names. Scientists refer to it as C4H9OC2H4OH, and this points right to its structure: a butyl group hooked up to an ethylene glycol chain.
You don’t need advanced equipment to spot it—a bottle of pure Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether looks like a clear liquid, almost like water, but with a mild, somewhat sweetish smell. It doesn’t turn yellow over time and it pours with the same consistency as water. If someone handed you a container of it, without the label, you wouldn’t spot the difference from water until you noticed the smell or tried mixing it with oil or other solvents. It doesn’t cling to surfaces, which makes it popular in products meant to evaporate cleanly.
In my experience working with household and industrial chemicals, knowing what the chemical looks like and its formula isn’t just book knowledge. The formula points to its properties—strong enough to break down grease, yet gentle enough to use in glass cleaners. That’s one reason you find it in window sprays, floor cleaners, and even in specialty coatings. It acts as a solvent, helping other components dissolve or mix, and it pulls its weight by not leaving sticky residues.
Still, handling it calls for care. The smell might seem faint, but lingering in a poorly ventilated room with open containers can cause headaches and throat irritation before you know it. I learned this the hard way cleaning up paint spills once, thinking that light scent meant it was harmless. Safety sheets clearly state the need for gloves and good ventilation. Breathing lots of vapors can cause real problems—so it’s far from benign just because it looks like water.
Toxicology data paint a pretty clear picture: repeated exposure, especially by inhaling fumes, can hit your blood, kidneys, and liver over time. European regulators keep a wary eye on it and push for safer substitutes in consumer products, but in places where it remains common, regular workers have to rely on ventilation and personal protective equipment. Solutions in workplaces often circle back to proper labeling, using closed mixing systems, and switching to alternatives in non-essential cases.
For homes, better consumer education matters. Most people won’t recognize “2-butoxyethanol” on a label, but a phone-based safety lookup or QR code could bridge that gap. Retailers also play a part; placing prominent guidance near cleaning product aisles about safe handling, much like they do for bleach or ammonia, nudges the public toward safer habits without causing panic.
Knowing both the formula and real-world traits of Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether isn’t academic trivia. It’s a working knowledge that keeps people safe in their homes and jobs. It’s important for policy discussions too—balancing the benefits in cleaning power with transparent risk information. Anyone who’s opened a bottle of glass cleaner has probably come close to this clear, sweet-smelling liquid, so the practical details, not the jargon, matter most in everyday choices.
Ethylene glycol butyl ether turns up in many places—cleaners, paints, industrial processes. Most folks don’t give these chemicals much thought, but a drum rolling off a warehouse shelf or a cracked valve can turn a routine shift upside-down. Once it hits the floor, it evaporates pretty easily and sends fumes into the air. The trouble isn’t always about splashing on the skin; it’s also what everyone starts breathing and where those vapors drift next.
The first thing most workers notice is the sweet odor. Anyone who’s spent time around solvent tanks or paint lines recognizes it right away. Unfortunately, breathing even modest amounts can leave you dizzy, irritable, or coughing and short of breath. Larger spills spread out, build up in the air, and quickly become overwhelming. Absorbed through skin or lungs, this chemical stresses out the body’s red blood cells and liver. Emergency room nurses see it in headaches, confusion, and sometimes worse.
Once a spill happens, time becomes the biggest ally or enemy. Rags and buckets will never cut it. Ventilation must crank up right away. Fans, open dock doors, and in some cases full building evacuation—every step cuts down exposure. Folks who reach for absorbent pads, gloves, and chemical goggles right away limit damage. Too often, workers underestimate how far vapors can spread or how long a spill lingers, especially with imperfect cleanup.
Anyone walking through a plant knows it’s not just the safety crew that keeps everyone out of trouble. Forklift drivers, janitors, shift supervisors—they all need the straight facts on what to do. Emergency kits belong somewhere obvious, stocked with the right materials. Sometimes, companies get tripped up thinking their “universal spill kit” will handle everything. Ethylene glycol butyl ether soaks into concrete and eats away at the bottom of metal lockers. Granular absorbents, sand, and proper containers help, but disposal gets complicated, since most local landfills don’t want contaminated material.
Spill management isn’t just waiting for bad luck. Regular inspections of tanks, pipes, and hoses cut risks. Weak welds and ancient gaskets spark most small leaks. Labeling every container, using secondary catch basins, and keeping even the most boring paperwork up to date stops mistakes. Most meaningful improvements come after a scare—a slip, a near-miss, or a surprising phone call from the fire department. The boss who schedules regular drills and refreshers for the crew turns those moments into lessons.
Nobody wants a chemical spill to become a headline. It doesn’t take a hazmat suit or a squad of engineers to handle a solvent leak, just the right response and a crew that knows what it’s facing. Community right-to-know laws, clear instructions, and honest follow-up after an incident all help. No one ever likes reporting a leak, but big problems hide behind silence. Stepping up and sorting out issues in the open is how spills get smaller, not bigger.
| Names | |
| Preferred IUPAC name | 2-butoxyethan-1-ol |
| Other names |
2-Butoxyethanol Butyl cellosolve Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether Glycol ether EB Butoxyethanol EGBE Butyl glycol |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛθ.ɪˌliːn ˈɡlaɪˌkɒl ˈbjuː.tɪl ˈiːθər/ |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS Number | 111-76-2 |
| Beilstein Reference | 737073 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:31549 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL1541 |
| ChemSpider | 11114 |
| DrugBank | DB00843 |
| ECHA InfoCard | InfoCard: 02-2119752470-44-0000 |
| EC Number | 203-905-0 |
| Gmelin Reference | 72908 |
| KEGG | C07355 |
| MeSH | D005006 |
| PubChem CID | 8013 |
| RTECS number | KJ8575000 |
| UNII | 3X3GD00YLO |
| UN number | UN1992 |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | DTXSID7020162 |
| Properties | |
| Chemical formula | C6H14O2 |
| Molar mass | 118.18 g/mol |
| Appearance | Clear, colorless liquid |
| Odor | Sweet, ether-like |
| Density | 0.900 g/cm³ |
| Solubility in water | Miscible |
| log P | 0.83 |
| Vapor pressure | 0.6 mmHg (20°C) |
| Acidity (pKa) | 14.8 |
| Basicity (pKb) | 1.0 |
| Magnetic susceptibility (χ) | -49.1×10⁻⁶ cm³/mol |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.419 |
| Viscosity | Viscosity: 2.9 cP (20°C) |
| Dipole moment | 1.99 D |
| Thermochemistry | |
| Std molar entropy (S⦵298) | 309.5 J·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹ |
| Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) | -537.7 kJ/mol |
| Std enthalpy of combustion (ΔcH⦵298) | -4580 kJ/mol |
| Pharmacology | |
| ATC code | D07AX |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling | GHS02, GHS07 |
| Pictograms | GHS02,GHS07 |
| Signal word | Warning |
| Hazard statements | H226, H302, H312, H315, H319 |
| Precautionary statements | P280, P305+P351+P338, P337+P313, P301+P312, P403+P233 |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | 1-2-0 |
| Flash point | 60°C (140°F) (Closed cup) |
| Autoignition temperature | 230 °C (446 °F) |
| Explosive limits | 1.1% - 10.6% |
| Lethal dose or concentration | LD50 Rat oral 2,000 mg/kg |
| LD50 (median dose) | LD50 (median dose): 470 mg/kg (rat, oral) |
| NIOSH | K150 |
| PEL (Permissible) | 50 ppm (240 mg/m3) |
| REL (Recommended) | 25 ppm |
| IDLH (Immediate danger) | 700 ppm |
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds |
Ethylene glycol Diethylene glycol Ethylene glycol monopropyl ether Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether Propylene glycol methyl ether Diethylene glycol butyl ether |
