Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) with a melting point of -109℃ and boiling point of 55.2℃ is a colorless, transparent and high-octane-value liquid, has ether-like odor, is an ideal blending component for producing lead-free, high-octane-value and oxygen-containing gasoline, and serves as a gasoline additive to be generally applied around the world. The MTBE can effectively increase the octane value of the gasoline, improve automobile performance, reduce the CO content of the exhaust and reduce the production cost of the gasoline. In addition, the MTBE is an important industrial chemical raw material and can be used for preparing high-purity isobutene through pyrolysis. The MTBE is organic ether with oxygen content of 18.2 percent. The steam of the MTBE is heavier than air, can be diffused along the ground and is combustible under the coexistence of a strong oxidant. The purity of the MTBE is about 97 to 99.5 percent and the molecular formula of the MTBE is CH3OC(CH3)3.
The MTBE is a high-octane-value (the octane value is 115 by a research method) gasoline additive, has lower chemical oxygen content compared with methanol, contributes to automobile warm-up and fuel saving, is low in evaporation latent heat, is favorable for cold start, and is commonly used for blending lead-free gasoline and low-lead fuel. The MTBE can be cracked again into isobutene to serve as the raw material of rubber and other chemical products.
