Dimethyl ether (DME) Supplier Manufacturers | High Quality, Factory Price | East India Chemicals
Dimethyl ether (DME), also known as methoxymethane, is the organic compound with the formula CH3OCH3, simplified to C2H6O. The simplest ether, it is a colorless gas that is a useful precursor to other organic compounds and an aerosol propellant that is currently being demonstrated for use in a variety of fuel applications. It is an isomer of ethanol.
Applications
The largest use of dimethyl ether is as the feedstock for the production of the methylating agent, dimethyl sulfate, which entails its reaction with sulfur trioxide:
Dimethyl ether can also be converted into acetic acid using carbonylation technology related to the Monsanto acetic acid process:
Laboratory reagent and solvent
Dimethyl ether is a low-temperature solvent and extraction agent, applicable to specialised laboratory procedures. Its usefulness is limited by its low boiling point (−23 °C (−9 °F)), but the same property facilitates its removal from reaction mixtures. Dimethyl ether is the precursor to the useful alkylating agent, trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate.
Niche applications
A mixture of dimethyl ether and propane is used in some over-the-counter "freeze spray" products to treat warts, by freezing them.Dimethyl ether is the main constituent in some industrial "freeze spray" spot-coolants used in field testing of electronic components. In this role it has supplanted halocarbon compounds (Freon), which have been suspected of contributing to ozone depletion in the Earth's atmosphere.Dimethyl ether is also a component of certain high temperature "MAP-plus" blowtorch gas blends, supplanting the use of methyl acetylene and propadiene mixtures.Dimethyl ether is also used as a propellant in aerosol products. Such products include hair spray, bug spray and some aerosol glue products.