Petroleum Ether ACS Reagent Grade

Product Overview

Petroleum Ether ACS Reagent Grade is a highly volatile, refined hydrocarbon fraction primarily utilized as a non-polar solvent in demanding laboratory and industrial processes. Despite its name, petroleum ether is not an ether but rather a mixture of volatile aliphatic hydrocarbons, predominantly pentanes and hexanes. Alliance Chemical sources and distributes this material to meet stringent quality requirements, ensuring a consistent boiling range and minimal residue after evaporation. It is commonly employed in extraction techniques, analytical chemistry protocols, and precision cleaning operations where a fast-evaporating, non-polar liquid is critical.

Our Petroleum Ether ACS Reagent Grade is carefully managed to prevent contamination and preserve its purity from our Texas distribution facility to your facility. This solvent is valued for its ability to dissolve fats, oils, waxes, and other hydrophobic compounds without leaving a significant residue, making it indispensable for gravimetric analysis and lipid extraction workflows. By partnering with a trusted Texas-based chemical supplier, your organization gains access to reliable bulk and packaged supply chains. Whether you require standard laboratory volumes or drum-scale quantities, we ensure the material is handled under strict quality control standards to satisfy the expectations of industrial chemists.

Why This Grade

ACS Reagent grade represents a high standard of purity defined by the American Chemical Society. For petroleum ether, this specification dictates strict limits on residue after evaporation, acidity, and sulfur compounds, along with a tightly controlled boiling range. Utilizing a lower-grade solvent or an unrefined technical distillate can introduce heavy hydrocarbons, reactive sulfur species, or non-volatile matter into your process. These impurities interfere with analytical chromatographs, leave unwanted films on precision electronic components, or contaminate extracted botanical and biological oils, rendering subsequent analysis or manufacturing steps invalid.

The absence of a standard chemical formula or a single molecular weight—since this product is a complex hydrocarbon mixture rather than a pure single substance—demands that the physical properties and distillation profile of Petroleum Ether ACS Reagent Grade remain exceptionally consistent. Operating with an off-spec grade often results in incomplete extractions, variable evaporation rates, and unpredictable solvent recovery cycles. These failure modes increase operating costs and degrade final product quality. Choosing our ACS Reagent grade minimizes these process variables, providing reproducible performance across all laboratory extractions and industrial applications.

Industrial Applications

• Analytical laboratory extractions, where this non-polar solvent acts as a medium for separating lipids, fats, and oils from complex biological matrices before chromatographic analysis.
• Precision metal cleaning and electronic component degreasing, leveraging its rapid evaporation rate and lack of residue to prepare surfaces for sensitive bonding processes.
• Pharmaceutical pilot-plant processing, serving as a reaction or crystallization solvent for active organic intermediates requiring low-boiling non-polar media under strict quality controls.
• Soil and environmental testing procedures, specifically the extraction of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and organic contaminants from soil, sediment, and water samples.
• Adhesive and coating formulation, where it serves as a volatile vehicle to control viscosity and dry times without leaving oily residues in the cured film.

Hazmat & Shipping

Petroleum Ether ACS Reagent Grade is classified as a hazardous material due to its extreme volatility and flammability. Under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, this material must be shipped under the identifier UN1268, Hazard Class 3, Packing Group I. The proper shipping name is Petroleum distillates, n.o.s. (Petroleum ether). The authoritative signal word for this chemical is DANGER, reflecting its GHS pictogram category of Flammable. Alliance Chemical manages all logistics in strict compliance with federal regulations to ensure safe transit from our facility to your receiving dock.

Given the hazard statement H226 Flammable liquid and vapor, strict adherence to safety protocols is mandatory. Laboratory and plant personnel must utilize appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as specified by precautionary statement P280 Wear protective gloves and eye protection. Adequate local exhaust ventilation or explosion-proof fume hoods are necessary to prevent the accumulation of flammable vapors. Keep the material away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames, and other ignition sources to prevent accidental combustion.

Handling & Storage

Safe storage of petroleum ether requires a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area, ideally in a dedicated flammable liquids storage cabinet maintained at temperatures below 20°C (68°F) to minimize vapor pressure buildup. Ensure containers remain tightly closed when not in use. Store only in compatible containers, such as heavy-duty steel drums or amber glass bottles; do not store in standard low-density plastics which are subject to softening and degradation. Keep this material isolated from strong oxidizing agents, acids, and halogens to prevent hazardous chemical reactions.

Order & Documentation

Alliance Chemical provides full documentation support to streamline your facility's compliance and quality assurance workflows. A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is provided with every order to ensure safe handling practices are maintained, and a Certificate of Analysis (COA) is available upon request to verify the high standards of our material. We offer flexible packaging configurations, from 1-liter glass bottles to 55-gallon steel drums, to support both laboratory testing and industrial-scale operations. Prior to placing your order, please contact our team to obtain specific batch documents. Request a Quote for bulk pricing or Download the SDS for your safety manual.

Why Buy from Alliance Chemical

Since 1997, Alliance Chemical (CAGE Code 1LT50) has supplied high-purity chemicals with a COA included, shipping same-day before 2PM CT, for industrial use only.