Diethylene Glycol

diethylene glycol [dī′eth·ə‚lēn ′glī‚kȯl]

(organic chemistry)

CH₂OHCH₂OCH₂CH₂OH Clear, hygroscopic, water-soluble liquid, boiling at 245°C; soluble in many organic solvents; used as a softener, conditioner, lubricant, and solvent, and in antifreezes and cosmetics.

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Diethylene Glycol 

(β,β’-dihydroxydiethyl ether), HOCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂OH, a viscous colorless liquid, having a melting point of -8°C, a boiling point of 245°C, a density of 1.1197 g/cm³ (15°C), and a refractive index of 1.4472. It is miscible with water,, alcohol, and acetone but slightly soluble in ether and benzene. Its chemical properties resemble those of ethylene glycol. The latter, along with ethylene oxide, and ethylene chlorohydrin, ClCH₂CH₂OH, serves as a raw material for the industrial preparation of diethylene glycol.

Diethylene glycol is extensively used as a solvent for nitrocellulose, oils, and resins; as a softener; as a component of antifreeze and absorption mixtures; and as a drying agent (in the gas industry). Some derivatives of diethylene glycol are of practical importance, such as, diethylene glycol dinitrate, the monoethers (Carbitols), and the diethers (for example, diglyme, CH₃OCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂OCH₃).