Methylcyclohexane

About This Product

Formulators who have to take toluene out of an adhesive, coating or cleaning product often switch to methylcyclohexane. It is toluene with the ring saturated: a cyclohexane ring carrying one methyl group (C7H14, CAS 108-87-2). Much of toluene's solvency and a similar boiling range, about 101 °C, are retained, but the aromatic ring is gone. The product is a colourless, transparent liquid, insoluble in water and miscible with most organic solvents.

Because it is made by hydrogenating toluene, the key question for a buyer is how much aromatic material survives. Toluene is limited to 10 ppm and benzene is not detected, while cyclohexane may not exceed 1,000 ppm. Methylcyclohexane content is 99.5 percent minimum, typically 99.9, Pt-Co colour is 10 max and there is no visible moisture.

The same toluene and methylcyclohexane pair is being developed as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier. Toluene takes up hydrogen to become methylcyclohexane, which can be shipped like any ordinary liquid and dehydrogenated back to toluene where the hydrogen is needed.

It also dissolves cellulose ethers, rubber, resins and adhesives, and is used for extraction, as a gas chromatography reference material and as an intermediate or reaction medium in organic synthesis.

BG Petro Chemicals ships methylcyclohexane in 155 kg drums or ISO tanks under UN 2296, Class 3, PG II. It is highly flammable and an aspiration hazard and should be handled according to the safety data sheet; current specifications, the SDS and batch documentation are available on request.