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Sigma-Aldrich

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran

greener alternative

BioRenewable, anhydrous, ≥99.0%, contains 250 ppm BHT as stabilizer

Synonym(s):

2-MeTHF, Tetrahydro-2-methylfuran, Tetrahydrosilvan

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About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C5H10O
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
86.13
Beilstein:
102448
EC Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352005
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.07

grade

anhydrous

Quality Level

Assay

≥99.0%

form

liquid

contains

250 ppm BHT as stabilizer

expl. lim.

0.34-6.3 %

greener alternative product characteristics

Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Learn more about the Principles of Green Chemistry.

sustainability

Greener Alternative Product

impurities

<0.002% water
<0.005% water (100 mL pkg)

evapn. residue

<0.0003%

refractive index

n20/D 1.406 (lit.)

bp

78-80 °C (lit.)

mp

-136 °C

density

0.86 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

greener alternative category

SMILES string

CC1CCCO1

InChI

1S/C5H10O/c1-5-3-2-4-6-5/h5H,2-4H2,1H3

InChI key

JWUJQDFVADABEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N

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General description

We are committed to bringing you Greener Alternative Products, which adhere to one or more of The 12 Principles of Greener Chemistry. This product is a biorenewable and thus aligns with "Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries" and "Use of Renewable Feedstocks". Click here for more information.
2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), a 2-methyl substituted tetrahdrofuran, is a biomass derived solvent. It is a potential greener solvent alternative for organic synthesis. It shows resistance to reduction by lithium making it a promising candidate as electrolytes in lithium batteries. Its polarity and Lewis base strength is intermediate between tetrahydrofuran (THF) and diethyl ether. The ring opening reaction of 2-MTHF has been studied using acid chloride and iodide to form secondary chlorides and primary iodides respectively. On long term storage, tetrahydrofuran forms organic peroxides. This process can be suppressed by adding butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a stabilizer. BHT removes the free radicals required for the peroxide formation.

Application

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran may be used as solvent for phosphatidylserine synthesis.
It may be used as an alternative solvent to:
  • DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) or MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) in the C-C bond forming reactions catalyzed by lyase enzyme.
  • THF in the reaction between Grignard reagents and carbonyl compounds.
  • Methylene chloride in some biphase reactions.
Green Alternatives to DCM and THF from Renewable Resources

Organic Solar Cells

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF): A Biomass-Derived Solvent with Broad Application in Organic Chemistry

Features and Benefits

Greener alternative for THF, DCM, DMSO, and MTBE

Other Notes

Pure-Pac® II containers require the Micromatic MacroValve coupler for dispensing solvents, Z560723.

Legal Information

Pure-Pac is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Signal Word

Danger

Hazard Statements

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 4 Oral - Eye Dam. 1 - Flam. Liq. 2 - Skin Irrit. 2

Supplementary Hazards

Storage Class Code

3 - Flammable liquids

WGK

WGK 2

Flash Point(F)

14.0 °F - closed cup

Flash Point(C)

-10.0 °C - closed cup

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

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2-Methyltetrahydrofuran as an alternative to dichloromethane in 2-phase reactions.
Ripin DHB and Vetelino M.
Synlett, 15, 2353-2353 (2003)
Regiocontrolled ring opening of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran with acid chlorides and iodides.
Mimero P, et al.
Tetrahedron Letters, 35(10), 1553-1556 (1994)
Biorenewable Solvents for High-Performance Organic Solar Cells
Panidi J, et al.
ACS Energy Letters, 8, 3038-3047 (2023)
2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF): A Biomass-Derived Solvent with Broad Application in Organic Chemistry.
Pace V, et al.
ChemSusChem, 5(8), 1369-1379 (2012)
V R Koch et al.
Science (New York, N.Y.), 204(4392), 499-501 (1979-05-04)
Rechargeable, high energy density lithium batteries require an efficient lithium electrode. Earlier work with electrolytes based on propylene carbonate, methyl acetate, and tetrahydrofuran yielded poor lithium electrode cycling efficiencies because of electrolyte reduction by lithium. Solutions of lithium hexafluoroarsenate in

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