EB - Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether

About This Product

Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, known as EB, EGBE or butyl cellosolve, has the formula C6H14O2 and CAS number 111-76-2. It is a clear colourless liquid with a mild odour, fully miscible with water and with most organic solvents, and it is by a wide margin the most used ethylene-series glycol ether. The four-carbon butyl group is what makes the difference, both technically and toxicologically. Technically it gives far stronger solvency for oils, greases and resins than the methyl or ethyl homologues while retaining full water miscibility, which is exactly the combination a hard-surface cleaner needs: it dissolves the soil and stays in the aqueous formulation. Toxicologically, the longer chain is metabolised by a different dominant route, producing butoxyacetic acid rather than the metabolites responsible for the reproductive effects seen with EM and EE. EB is therefore not classified as a reproductive toxicant, though it does cause haemolysis in rodents and carries skin and eye irritation classifications. That distinction is why EB remained in general use while its shorter relatives were restricted. It is used in hard-surface and industrial cleaners, water-based and baking coatings, printing inks, hydraulic fluids, herbicide formulations and as a coupling solvent. Bio Green Chem supplies EB to specification on assay, water content, acidity, colour, peroxide and residue.