Diisopropyl Ether

Brief Overview
Diisopropyl ether is secondary ether that is used as a solvent. It is a colourless liquid that is
slightly soluble in water, but miscible with organic solvents. It is used as an extractant and
an oxygenate gasoline additive. It is obtained industrially as a by-product in the production of
isopropanol by hydration of propene. Diisopropyl ether is sometimes represented by the
abbreviation "DIPE".

Manufacturing Process
Diisopropyl ether can form explosive peroxides upon standing in air for long periods. This
reaction proceeds more easily than for ethyl ether, due to the secondary carbon next to the
oxygen atom. Antioxidants can be used to prevent this process. The stored solvent should
therefore be tested for the presence of peroxides more often. Peroxides may be removed by
shaking the ether with a solution of iron (II) sulfate. For safety reasons, methyl tert-butyl
ether is often used as an alternative solvent.

Whereas at 20 °C, diethyl ether will dissolve 1% by weight water, DIPE only dissolves half
as much . It is used as a specialized solvent to remove or extract polar organic compounds
from aqueous solutions, e.g. phenols, ethanol, acetic acid. DIPE is used as an antiknock
agent.