2-Butene
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| Names | |||
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| Preferred IUPAC name But-2-ene | |||
| Other names β-Butylene | |||
| Identifiers | |||
| 3D model (JSmol) | 
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| 1718755 1361341 | |||
| ChEBI | 
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| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.140 | ||
| EC Number | 
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| 25196 1140 1141 | |||
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| RTECS number | 
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| UNII | 
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| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |||
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| Properties | |||
| C4H8 | |||
| Molar mass | 56.106 g/mol | ||
| Density | 0.641 g/ml (cis, 3.7 °C) 0.626 g/ml (trans, 0.9 °C) | ||
| Melting point | −138.9 °C (−218.0 °F; 134.2 K) (cis) −105.5 °C (trans) | ||
| Boiling point | 0.8 to 3.7 °C (33.4 to 38.7 °F; 273.9 to 276.8 K) (Z = 3.7 °C) (E = 0.8 °C) | ||
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| Hazards | |||
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| Danger | |||
| H220 | |||
| P210, P377, P381, P403 | |||
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |||
| Flash point | −72 °C (−98 °F; 201 K) | ||
| 325 °C (617 °F; 598 K) | |||
| Related compounds | |||
| Related butenes | 1-Butene cis-2-Butene trans-2-Butene Isobutene | ||
| Related compounds | Butane Butyne | ||
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references | |||
2-Butene is an acyclic alkene with four carbon atoms. It is the simplest alkene exhibiting cis/trans-isomerism (also known as (E/Z)-isomerism); that is, it exists as two geometric isomers cis-2-butene ((Z)-but-2-ene) and trans-2-butene ((E)-but-2-ene).
It is a petrochemical, produced by the catalytic cracking of crude oil or the dimerization of ethylene. Its main uses are in the production of high-octane gasoline (petrol) on alkylation units and butadiene, although some 2-butene is also used to produce the solvent butanone via hydration reaction to 2-butanol followed by oxidation.
The two isomers are extremely difficult to separate by distillation because of the proximity of their boiling points (~4 °C for cis and ~1 °C for trans). However, separation is unnecessary in most industrial settings, as both isomers behave similarly in most of the desired reactions. A typical industrial 2-butene mixture is 70% (Z)-but-2-ene (cis-isomer) and 30% (E)-but-2-ene (trans-isomer). Butane and 1-butene are common impurities, present at 1% or more in industrial mixtures, which also contain smaller amounts of isobutene, butadiene and butyne.