EM - Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether

About This Product

Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, known as EM, EGME or methyl cellosolve, has the formula C3H8O2 and CAS number 109-86-4. It is a clear, colourless liquid with a mild ether odour, fully miscible with water and with most organic solvents. That dual miscibility is what glycol ethers are bought for. The molecule carries an ether linkage at one end and a hydroxyl group at the other, so one half dissolves in hydrocarbons and the other in water, allowing it to couple two phases that would otherwise separate. EM is the shortest member of the ethylene series and therefore the most water-loving and the fastest evaporating. Its regulatory position, however, now governs its availability. EM is classified in the EU as toxic for reproduction category 1B, carrying hazard statements H360FD, on evidence of testicular and developmental effects, and it is readily absorbed through intact skin. It is subject to REACH authorisation and restriction, and in most coatings and consumer applications it has been displaced by propylene-series ethers such as PM, which do not carry that classification. Where permitted, it is used in industrial coatings and inks, semiconductor and electronics processing, as a jet fuel anti-icing additive and as a chemical intermediate. Bio Green Chem supplies EM to specification on assay, water content, acidity, colour and residue, with permitted-use status and exposure controls confirmed before supply.