butanol

American  

[byoot-n-awl, -ol] / ˈbyut nˌɔl, -ˌɒl /

noun

Chemistry.

1. butyl alcohol.

2. butanol that is made from fossil fuels petrobutanol or from certain plants or algae biobutanol, and which is used as an alternative to gasoline.

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butanol British  

/ ˈbjuːtəˌnɒl /

noun

1. Also called: butyl alcohol.  a colourless substance existing in four isomeric forms. The three liquid isomers are used as solvents for resins, lacquers, etc, and in the manufacture of organic compounds. Formula: C 4 H 9 OH

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butanol Scientific  

/ byo̅o̅′tə-nôl′,-nōl′,nŏl′ /

1. Either of the two butyl alcohols that are derived from butane and have a straight chain of carbon atoms. Butanols are used as solvents and in organic synthesis. Chemical formula: C ₄ H ₁₀ O.

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Etymology

Origin of butanol

First recorded in 1890–95; butane + -ol ¹

Example Sentences

After rinsing to remove fatty residues, they boiled the powdered husks in a mixture of butanol and acid, a standard lignin extraction method called the butanosolv process.

From Science Daily • Oct. 17, 2023

Jewett expects the same process could make the bacteria produce a variety of other chemicals, such as butanol, used in varnishes, and propanediol, found in cosmetics.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 21, 2022

Algae can produce biodiesel, biogasoline, ethanol, butanol, methane, and even jet fuel.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Once they are extracted, the sugars are fermented into an alcohol -- like ethanol or butanol -- that can then be used as a fuel.

From Scientific American • Aug. 16, 2013

Isobutanol has the same chemical formula as butanol but a different structure that improves its engine performance and makes it easier to synthesize into other chemicals.

From Nature • Jun. 22, 2011