Gourt Home::Gourt :: 1,4-Butanediol
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1,4-Butanediol is an alcohol derivative of the alkane butane, carrying two hydroxyl groups. It is a colorless viscous liquid. Its industrial synthesis starts with acetylene, which is reacted with two molecules of formaldehyde to form 1,4-butynediol, a process known as the Reppe synthesis. This product is subsequently hydrogenated to give 1,4-butanediol.
1,4-Butanediol is used industrially as a solvent and in the manufacture of some types of plastics and fibers. In organic chemistry, 1,4-butanediol is used for the synthesis of γ-butyrolactone (GBL). In the presence of phosphoric acid and high temperature, it dehydrates to the important solvent tetrahydrofuran. At about 200 °C in the presence of a soluble ruthenium catalyst, the diol loses H2 and forms butyrolactone.
It is also used as a recreational drug known by some users as "One Comma Four" or "One Four Bee". It exerts effects similar to γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which is a metabolic product of 1,4-butanediol. *
1,4-Butanediol produces a strong toxic feeling when ingested not present with GHB and determing from its much delayed onset. Damage it may be caused to the liver as well as to other vital organs.
While 1,4-butanediol is not currently scheduled federally in the United States, a number of states have classified 1,4-butanediol as a controlled substance and even where it has not yet been scheduled. Scheduling of 1,4-butanediol on a federal level is highly unlikely considering its common industrial use and many industrial applications.
Reference
- J. Zhao, J. F. Hartwig "Acceptorless, Neat, Ruthenium-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Cyclization of Diols to Lactones" Organometallics 2005, volume 24, 2441-2446.
External links
"1,4-Butanediol"