PROPYLENE CAS#115-07-1

Products Description of Propylene

Propylene is the second simplest member of the olefin family, with the structural formula CH₂=CHCH₃. It ranks among the most significant organic chemical feedstocks, surpassed only by ethylene and benzene in importance. Typically, propylene is recovered from the off-gases of thermal and catalytic cracking operations, and it is also produced as a byproduct during the manufacture of ethylene from light oil cracking.

Due to the unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond in its molecular structure, propylene can participate in addition reactions with hydrogen, halogens, and hydrogen halides, as well as undergo addition polymerization. It serves as a vital raw material for the production of acrylonitrile, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene rubber, propylene oxide, acetone, and various synthetic resins, along with synthetic rubber, synthetic fibers, and plastics.

Chemical Properties

Product Application of Propylene

 Propylene is a fundamental raw material in the chemical sector and serves as a critical feedstock for a wide range of downstream products. Through gas-phase oxidation, it is converted into acrolein, which in turn serves as a precursor for acrylic acid, allyl alcohol, glyceraldehyde, hydroxyacetaldehyde, and the important food and feed additive methionine.

 Ammonia oxidation of propylene yields acrylonitrile, an essential raw material for synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and plastics. Chlorination produces chloropropylene, which can be further transformed into allyl alcohol, propylene dichlorohydrin, chloropropionitrile, and other intermediates used in the production of glycerin, epoxy resins, chlorohydrin rubber, and surfactants.

 Through alkylation, propylene is used to produce cumene—the primary intermediate for phenol manufacturing—with acetone generated as a valuable co-product. Oxo synthesis of propylene gives n-butyraldehyde and isobutyraldehyde, both of which serve as important intermediates in the production of plasticizers, dyes, solvents, pesticides, and other organic chemicals.

 Hydration of propylene produces isopropyl alcohol, which is further used to manufacture acetone, isopropylamine, and isopropyl esters. Propylene can also undergo dimerization, trimerization, polymerization, and tetramerization to yield useful products including ethylene, propylene trimers, polypropylene, and dodecene—the latter being a key intermediate for surfactant production.