Product Overview
Hexane ACS Reagent Grade is a clear, colorless, non-polar hydrocarbon solvent (C6H14, CAS 110-54-3) with a gasoline-like odor and high volatility. It is the workhorse non-polar solvent for analytical labs running HPLC and extractions, and for industrial operations that need a fast-evaporating degreaser that leaves no residue. we distribute it in Taylor, Texas and ship it daily as a fully regulated Class 3 flammable liquid — packed, marked, and labeled for DOT ground transport, from single quarts for the bench up to 55-gallon drums for production.
Buy this grade when the solvent touches your data or your product: chromatography, sample prep, API and botanical extraction, instrument calibration. If you only need a rough degreasing rinse, you may not need ACS Grade designation — but if an interfering impurity would show up in your chromatogram or your extract, this is the grade to specify.
Why This Concentration
ACS Reagent grade means the lot is tested against the American Chemical Society reagent specifications for purity and impurity limits, and every order ships with a lot-specific Certificate of Analysis so you can verify it before it goes anywhere near your method. For a QC lead, that traceability is the point: when a chromatographic baseline drifts or an extraction yield moves, you can rule the solvent in or out with paperwork instead of guesswork.
The trade-off with hexane is never purity versus reactivity — it is volatility and flammability versus utility. The same low boiling character that makes hexane easy to strip off after an extraction also gives it a flash point of -9 °F and heavy, low-lying vapors. Pick the container size that matches your burn rate: an open drum of hexane in a warm room is losing product and building vapor. Smaller containers, opened less often, keep the lot cleaner and the workspace safer.
Chemical Profile
Hexane is a clear, colorless liquid with a petroleum-like, gasoline-type odor. The molecule is a straight-chain C6 alkane — formula C6H14, molecular weight 86.18, CAS 110-54-3. It is markedly less dense than water at 0.659 (measured at 68 °F), so spills float and spread rather than sink. It is effectively insoluble in water — less than 1 mg/mL at 61.7 °F — which is exactly what makes it useful for liquid-liquid extraction against aqueous phases. Vapor pressure is high: 120 mmHg at 68 °F rising to 180 mmHg at 77 °F, so an open container loses product quickly and the vapors, which are heavier than air, collect at floor level. The flash point of -9 °F means hexane is ignitable at any temperature you will ever handle it at; treat every transfer as a flammable-vapor operation.
Industrial Applications
Hexane earns its place in the solvent cabinet because it is aggressively non-polar, evaporates fast, and stays out of the aqueous phase. The main places our buyers use this grade:
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HPLC mobile phase: a standard non-polar mobile-phase component in liquid chromatography, where ACS Grade designation keeps baselines flat and ghost peaks out of the run.
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Extraction solvent: pulls non-polar actives and oils out of plant material and other matrices in pharmaceutical and botanical work, then strips off cleanly because of its volatility.
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Precision cleaning and degreasing: dissolves oils, greases, and waxes from metal parts and leaves no residue after flash-off — useful before plating, bonding, or inspection.
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Reaction medium: a non-polar, non-participating solvent for organic synthesis steps that need an inert hydrocarbon environment.
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Instrument calibration and reference work: used as a reference solvent when calibrating analytical instruments, where lot-to-lot consistency matters more than anything.
Handling & Storage
The signal word for this product is Danger (per the product's GHS classification). Its GHS hazard statements are H225 (highly flammable liquid and vapor), H304 (may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways), H315 (causes skin irritation), H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness), H361f (suspected of damaging fertility), H373 (may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure), and H411 (toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects), per the product's GHS classification.
Handle it accordingly. Work in strong ventilation — the vapors are heavier than air and pool low, so floor-level extraction matters more than ceiling fans. Ground and bond containers during transfers; static discharge is a real ignition source with a flash point this low. Keep it away from heat, sparks, open flames, and strong oxidizers and acids. Wear chemical-resistant gloves and goggles, and choose glove material rated for aliphatic hydrocarbons — hexane defeats the wrong glove quickly. Never siphon by mouth; the aspiration hazard (H304) is the reason.
Store cool, tightly closed, and off direct sun, in compatible containers — glass or HDPE work; hexane is not a container-eater, but a loose cap is a product-loser at this vapor pressure. Because of H411, keep it out of drains and waterways and stage drums where a spill can be contained.
Hazmat & Shipping
This product ships as fully regulated dangerous goods. The proper shipping name is HEXANES (per 49 CFR 172.101), identification number UN1208 (per 49 CFR 172.101), Hazard Class 3 — flammable liquid (per 49 CFR 172.101), Packing Group II (per 49 CFR 172.101). Every order leaves our dock in UN-specification packaging with the correct Class 3 labels, markings, and shipping papers. We ship this daily; the hazmat paperwork is our routine, not your problem. Quarts and gallons go out in tested combination packagings; 5-gallon and 55-gallon quantities ship on pallets, drummed and secured for ground freight.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet accompanies every order, available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese — useful if your EHS program or overseas sites need multilingual copies on file. A lot-specific Certificate of Analysis is available for every shipment, so your incoming-QC can verify the lot against the ACS reagent specification before release. A technical data sheet is also available for spec review before you buy.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
We are a stocking distributor, not a broker. Hexane ACS Reagent Grade sits in our Taylor, Texas warehouse and ships daily in DOT-compliant hazmat packaging — from a single quart for a method-development bench to 55-gallon drums for extraction lines. Our team handles Class 3 flammables every working day, and the shipping and handling guidance on this page is reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist. You get the right paperwork, the right packaging, and a straight answer when you call about lead times or freight — and we charge hazmat fees may apply.
