1,2-Butadiene is the organic compound with the formula CH2=C=CHCH3. It is an isomer of 1,3-butadiene, which is a common monomer used to make synthetic rubber, and is often co-produced with it. It is a colorless flammable gas, one of the simplest substituted allenes.
Production The C4-fraction of petroleum obtained by cracking and separated by distillation consists of many compounds, predominantly (75%) 1,3-butadiene, isobutene, and 1-butene. 1,2Butadiene comprises less than 1% of this mixture. It is partially purified by extraction with N-methylpyrrolidone. 1,2-Butadiene has no commercial applications; US production was 4,500–23,000 tons in 2005.
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