EDM - Ethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether(DME)

About This Product

Ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, known as EDM, monoglyme or DME, has the formula C4H10O2 and CAS number 110-71-4. It is a clear, low-viscosity, low-boiling liquid, fully miscible with water and with most organic solvents. Capping both ends of the glycol with methyl groups removes every hydroxyl from the molecule, and that single structural difference changes what it can be used for. A glycol ether with a free hydroxyl carries an acidic hydrogen, which reacts destructively with organometallic reagents and with isocyanates. EDM has none, so it is aprotic and chemically inert toward those species, while the two ether oxygens sit at exactly the right spacing to chelate metal cations, particularly lithium and magnesium. That combination makes it a preferred medium for Grignard and organolithium chemistry, for metal hydride reductions and for lithium battery electrolytes, where it solvates the lithium ion and supports ion transport. It is also used as a reaction solvent in fine chemical synthesis. Like other ethers it forms peroxides on storage in air and must be inhibited and tested before distillation. It is used in lithium battery electrolytes, Grignard and organolithium reactions, metal hydride chemistry, pharmaceutical synthesis and as a reaction solvent. Bio Green Chem supplies EDM to specification on assay, water content, peroxide value, acidity, colour and non-volatile residue.