Product Details
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a colorless liquid with a distinctive and unpleasant odor. It is produced by combining chemical substances such as isobutylene and methanol. Since the 1980s, MTBE has been used as an additive in unleaded gasoline to promote cleaner and more environmentally friendly combustion.
MTBE is also used for the dissolution of gallstones. In this application, MTBE is delivered directly into the gallbladder through specialized tubes that are surgically inserted.
Product Usage
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was widely used as a gasoline additive in unleaded gasoline in the United States before 2005. It is also used in the production of isobutene and as a chromatographic eluent, particularly in high-pressure liquid chromatography.
In addition, MTBE has pharmaceutical applications and can be introduced into the gallbladder to dissolve gallstones (ATSDR, 1996). Tert-butyl methyl ether is also used in the petrochemical industry. By reversing its formation reaction, MTBE can be cracked into isobutene and methanol over acidic catalysts at temperatures higher than those used for MTBE synthesis.
