Hazard
Flammable, dangerous fire risk.
Chemical Properties
3-Methylpentane, C6H14, is a colorless, flammable liquid
with specific gravity 0.664. It occurs in petroleum and
natural gas, and may be released to the environment in
evaporative losses, wastewater, spills, and combustion
exhaust.
Chemical Properties
colourless liquid
Physical properties
Clear, colorless, flammable liquid with an odor similar to hexane, heptane, and similar aliphatic
hydrocarbons. An odor threshold concentration of 8.9 ppmv was reported by Nagata and Takeuchi
(1990).
Definition
ChEBI: 3-methylpentane is an alkane that is pentane which is substituted by a methyl group at position 3. It is used as a solvent in organic synthesis, as a lubricant and as a raw material for producing carbon black. It has a role as a human metabolite, an allelochemical and a non-polar solvent. It is an alkane and a volatile organic compound.
Source
Schauer et al. (1999) reported 3-methylpentane in a diesel-powered medium-duty truck
exhaust at an emission rate of 670 μg/km.
California Phase II reformulated gasoline contained 3-methylpentane at a concentration of 22.7
g/kg. Gas-phase tailpipe emission rates from gasoline-powered automobiles with and without
catalytic converters were 3.76 and 512 mg/km, respectively (Schauer et al., 2002).
Environmental Fate
Photolytic. The following rate constants were reported for the reaction of 3-methylpentane and
OH radicals in the atmosphere: 4.30 x 10-9 cm3/molecule?sec at 300 K (Darnall et al., 1976); 6.8 x
10-12 cm3/molecule?sec at 305 K (Darnall et al., 1978); 5.7 x 10-12 cm3/molecule?sec (Altshuller,
1991).
Chemical/Physical. Complete combustion in air produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. 3-
Methylpentane will not hydrolyze because it does not contain a hydrolyzable functional group.
Purification Methods
Purify it by azeotropic distillation with MeOH, as for 2-methylpentane. Purify it for ultraviolet spectroscopy by passing it through columns of silica gel or alumina activated by heating for 8hours at 210o under a stream of nitrogen. Alternatively treat it with conc (or fuming) H2SO4, then wash it with water, aqueous 5% NaOH, water again, then dry (CaCl2, then sodium), and distil it through a long, glass helices-packed, column. [Beilstein 1 IV 363.]
