Tripropylene Glycol Butyl Ether, usually shortened to TPG-BE, comes out of the propylene oxide and butanol chemical family. In the lab, its formula shows as C13H28O4, shaped with a butoxy group attached to a chain of three propylene glycol units. You see it as a clear liquid with a faint sweet smell, mostly because of the ethers. Folks in chemical plants know its CAS number: 55934-93-5. Its HS Code, which identifies traded science stuff, lands at 29094990.
TPG-BE pours as a viscous, colorless liquid, not as a powder, solid, or pearl. Crystals and flakes stay out of the picture. This stuff packs a molecular weight around 264.4 g/mol, which crops up when measuring tiny amounts for experiments. The density sticks at about 0.96 g/cm³ at room temperature—just shy of water. Its boiling point usually hangs around 285 degrees Celsius, showing some solid heat resistance for an organic solvent. At regular workplaces, it doesn’t evaporate away quickly, making it fit for slow drying or blending in faster-drying solvents as a balance. The liquid dissolves well in other glycol ethers and most organic solvents, but doesn’t care much for water. Many industrial folks value that solvency for breaking down grease, resins, dyes, and inks.
Talking from years around coatings and cleaners, TPG-BE comes into play when companies need something that can mix with both greasy stuff and paint bases. Paint formulating shops tuck it into latex paints to give smooth brushwork. Floor-cleaning solutions rely on it to break up oily stains. Printer ink shops put it in their blends because it controls how long inks take to dry and keeps colorants from clumping or settling. It also goes to work as a plasticizer, giving rubbery texture to plastic articles or adhesives. I’ve seen folks use this glycol ether as a base to cook up more specialized ethers, and chemical plants treat it as a sturdy intermediate raw material.
You won’t find TPG-BE as flakes, solid beads, or pearls. Suppliers keep it in drums or tanks as a plain, slightly oily liquid. Density readings run from 0.96 to 0.98 g/cm³ at 20°C, so barrels won’t tip much heavier than water. Water won’t pull much of it in—solubility lands at about 1-2%—but ethanol or toluene can blend in any amount. Customers buying several tons at a time care most about water content (few tenths of a percent or less), acid number (nice and low, or corrosion creeps in), and whether it smells sharp or not (sometimes a rotten batch leaks methyl ether taste). Watch temperature: this glycol ether thickens as it cools, but never freezes hard under regular storage.
TPG-BE joins the list of glycol ethers with a reputation for mild skin and respiratory irritation, especially if folks skip gloves or proper ventilation. I’ve seen workers get headaches and mild dizziness in closed rooms if solvent vapor levels pop above 50 ppm. EU and US safety sheets call for splash goggles and gloves, since eye contact stings right off the bat. In case folks knock over a drum, cleanup teams push it away from storm drains—waterways pick up toxic loads if the chemical runs off. On the plus side, it doesn’t ignite easily, but if fire hits it, the burning ether throws up thick, black smoke with carbon monoxide. Long, repeated exposure hasn’t shown serious kidney damage in workers, but breathing too much never ends well. I always point out: nobody’s immune, so wearing a mask and thick gloves should be automatic. Disposal means organized chemical recycling, not a quick drain-pour—waste haulers require paperwork showing the dissolved load, and city pipes don’t like glycol ethers in the long run. This substance isn’t radioactive, but storage tanks need steel or good plastic—soft metals corrode by slow reaction.
People in manufacturing, painting, cleaning, and research labs all bump into TPG-BE at some point. Knowing it’s a liquid ether, not a powder or flake, helps avoid buying mistakes. For process engineers, the density number and boiling point set up pump calibration and storage requirements. Safety officers eye toxicity ratings, vapor thresholds, and flammability to write up training sheets and emergency drills. Supply chain crews check HS Codes and technical specs to fill out import, export, and duty forms, dodging fines and port delays. Anybody working near glycol ethers—especially in enclosed tanks or on long shifts—should know that headaches can warn of vapor buildup, leading to better ventilation routines or air testing. Regulators value clear formulas and molecular information when they approve materials for new coatings or cleaning blends.
Plenty of old factories don’t update their chemical lists, so surprise batches of TPG-BE might show up unlabeled, risking worker health. Labeling every tank and keeping SDS sheets in plain sight goes a long way. Installing low-cost vapor detectors makes a solid backup in bigger plants, catching leaks before the headache sets in. Chem engineers designing safer products can mix TPG-BE with lower-toxicity glycols, lowering workplace exposure. Local authorities could require better waste treatment for glycol ethers; investing in solvent recovery pays off in cleaner water and savings long-term. In countries with lax rules, exporters should demand proof of proper drum handling and fire prevention. Rolling out training on proper glove and mask use—making it everyday routine—cuts down on accidental skin splashes and headaches. In labs, substituting less harmful solvents in small batches helps cut the body burden for people stirring or pipetting all day. Open dialogue between chemical buyers, sellers, shippers, and frontline workers can fix labeling errors, storage slip-ups, and disposal headaches, making TPG-BE safer for everyone who comes close.
