Ethylcyclohexane

About This Product

Ethylcyclohexane, formula C8H16 and CAS number 1678-91-7, is a cyclohexane ring with an ethyl substituent. It is a colourless liquid free from mechanical impurities, boiling at about 132 °C, insoluble in water and miscible with hydrocarbons and most organic solvents. It is produced by hydrogenating ethylbenzene, so the specification centres on how completely that aromatic has been saturated: ethylbenzene is limited to 0.5 percent against an ethylcyclohexane content of 99.6 percent minimum. Its higher boiling point than cyclohexane or methylcyclohexane gives it a slower evaporation rate, useful where a solvent must stay wet long enough for levelling or penetration. As a single, well-characterised naphthene it is also used as a component of the surrogate mixtures that model jet and diesel fuel behaviour in combustion research, and as a reference compound in chromatography. It is used as a raw material in organic synthesis, as a solvent, as a reference material for chromatographic analysis, as a component of fuel surrogate mixtures and in metal surface treatment. Bio Green Chem supplies ethylcyclohexane at 99.6 percent minimum to specification on appearance, colour, ethylbenzene and water, in 158 kg drums or ISO tanks. It is a flammable liquid and an aspiration hazard; handle to the safety data sheet.