Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic ether-like odor. It has a melting point of −109°C and a boiling point of 55.2°C. Due to its high octane rating, MTBE is an excellent blending component for producing lead-free, high-octane, oxygenated gasoline and is widely used worldwide as a gasoline additive.

MTBE is well suited for blending into lead-free, high-octane, oxygenated gasoline. It effectively increases gasoline's octane rating, improves vehicle performance, reduces carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from vehicle exhaust, and helps lower gasoline production costs. In addition to its role as a fuel additive, MTBE is an important chemical feedstock. It can be cracked to produce isobutylene, which is subsequently used in the manufacture of rubber and a variety of other chemical products.

tert-Butyl methyl ether Chemical Properties

Product Usage

Before 2005, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was widely used as an additive in unleaded gasoline in the United States. It is also utilized in isobutene production and as an eluent in chromatography, particularly in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Additionally, MTBE has been used in pharmaceutical applications, including its introduction into the gallbladder to dissolve gallstones (ATSDR, 1996). It also plays an important role in the petrochemical industry. By reversing the reaction through which it is formed, MTBE can be decomposed into isobutene and methanol over acidic catalysts at temperatures higher than those typically employed in MTBE synthesis.