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Glite Dictionary
butyl alcohol

butyl alcohol

7.5
A clear liquid that easily catches fire and dissolves oils in industry and labs
  • noun
  • /ˈbjuːtəl ˈæl.kə.hɔːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : alcohol butílico
  • In the laboratory, we used butyl alcohol as a solvent for our chemical reactions.

Examples

  • Due to its flammability, storing butyl alcohol in a cool and well-ventilated area is essential.

  • Many industrial processes rely on butyl alcohol for its effective solvent properties.

  • Tertiary butyl alcohol has been extensively investigated for its reactivity also, but it appears that the more conditions you put on this reaction, the more limited its scope and applicability become.

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Synonyms

butanol
vsbutyl alcohol
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A flammable alcohol made from butane used as a solvent or fuel

focuses on solvent use particularly in industry and laboratory settings

Surface Forms

butyl alcohol singular
butyl alcohols plural

Morphology

butyl + alcohol

The term is a straightforward compositional compound: 'butyl' names the alkyl group and 'alcohol' names the functional class, so the phrase denotes an alcohol containing a butyl group (i.e., derived from butane). This follows regular chemical naming patterns that are cross-linguistically consistent, so a learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Butyl alcohol comes from two parts: butyl, a short chain of four carbon atoms, and alcohol, the kind of chemical. So, butyl alcohol simply names the flammable alcohol made from that short chain, often used as a 'solvent' to dissolve oils and other substances in labs and industry.