Heptane: What Is It and How Do You Use It?

There aren’t many chemicals that are as versatile as heptane. It can be used for lots of different stuff, but it is most popular for its industrial application. Companies that are producing the substance are able to make it according to customers’ specifications, which is another major bonus.

Heptane production is not easy. You need a team of versatile, knowledgeable experts that can perform it in a safe manner. This is why it is very important to buy the product from reputable sources.

In this article, we will talk a bit more about heptane and some of its most popular applications. Check it out!

What is heptane?

Heptane comes in the form of a liquid. We get it from petroleum, and it is categorized as a straight-chain alkane.

Heptane is a hydrocarbon that doesn't have color, it smells of gas, and it is regarded as the main standard when it comes to octane ratings. A good example of this would be gas stations in the US and in some other countries of the world.

As you can presume, this is a highly volatile liquid. It can easily be set of fire, and it is often used for industrial processes. The great thing about it is that you can easily transport it, making it ideal for both the producers and consumers.
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There aren’t many chemicals that are as versatile as heptane. It can be used for lots of different stuff, but it is most popular for its industrial application. Companies that are producing the substance are able to make it according to customers’ specifications, which is another major bonus.

Heptane production is not easy. You need a team of versatile, knowledgeable experts that can perform it in a safe manner. This is why it is very important to buy the product from reputable sources.
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In this article, we will talk a bit more about heptane and some of its most popular applications. Check it out!

What are the main benefits of heptane?

There are a lot of reasons why individual consumers and companies would utilize the chemical. Here are the main benefits of heptane:

• Low density

Heptane is less dense than water. Its density is measured at 684 kg/m³. When the two are combined, water will sink in heptane due to its lower density.

• Low toxicity compared to similar substances

While heptane is still toxic and dangerous to humans, it isn't as toxic as some other chemicals. It can be problematic for the human nervous system and is categorized as a neurotoxic substance. If you get exposed to it, you will experience changes in your perception, followed by mild hallucinations. A person who is exposed to 0.1% of the chemical will feel dizzy for 6 minutes. Higher content will lead to loss of motoric functions and vertigo.

• Low boiling point

The heptane boiling point is 98.42 degrees Celsius.

• It cannot be dissolved in water

Heptane has a solubility in water of 0.0003% at 25°C. On the other hand, the solubility of water in heptane is 0.01% at 25°C.

• It evaporates really slowly

Given that heptane is under a lot of high vapor pressure, it doesn’t evaporate that quickly. During evaporation, energy will be removed from the fuel beneath it as well as the environment. In that sense, heat transfer is the focal point of the evaporation)
Due to all of these properties, heptane has a major advantage over its alternatives.

How do you use heptane?

This product can be utilized in all sorts of ways. It is common used as a non-polar solvent.

Heptane is especially popular for smaller laboratories but also big industrial complexes. When used in labs, it is either utilized as a solve, reagent for organic synthesis.

In terms of its industrial application, the liquid allows companies to create inks. You can use it for printer or stamp pad ink. The liquid is also amazing for cement, hospital anesthetics as well as compounders.

In some cases, this product can also be used for vegetable oil extraction. One of the reasons for this application is because the liquid is much more environmentally friendly compared to the machine press process.

Although the liquid is simply amazing for creating various industrial products, you can also rely on it for the production of consumer goods. For example, it can be used for stove fuel, rubber cement, and paint coatings.

There are a lot of items that utilize it as the focal substance, and it would be really hard to imagine modern life without it.

What is the relation between heptane and gasoline?

Most people recognize heptane as a liquid that is used to make gasoline. As already mentioned, companies extract this product (as well as hexane) from various crude oils.

In other words, the same petroleum substance that we use to make gasoline will also be used to create liquids like heptane. With that being said, it has a special place within the fuel field.

Without heptane, we wouldn't have the modern octane rating. Based on this scale, we can now differentiate fuels of various qualities.

 Lower quality fuels will have a really bad impact on your car engine, while higher tier products will prolong its life by a lot. According to the same scale, pure heptane is categorized as a 0% substance.

 Fuels that are able to take more compression before igniting have a much higher rating according to the same scale. Based on that, you can easily conclude that pure heptane is not ideal for cars, but instead, it is much more suitable for labs and processing purposes. 

Tips for handling heptane

As already mentioned, this product is less toxic than some similar products (good examples are hexane and MEK). Nevertheless, you need to take proper actions before you start using it.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with the substance, which is why it is much better if it’s managed by experienced professionals.

• This liquid is very flammable. Whether we’re talking about the liquid or the vapors, both of them can present a hazard.
• As we previously said, consumption of the substance can lead to fatality. Even smaller quantities can lead to some major health issues.
• If applied to the skin, it can lead to severe irritation and erosion. Because of that, you should always have protective gear when handling it.
• As long as you store it in a cool, isolated place, you shouldn't have too many issues.
• Like with the skin, the substance can lead to mucous membrane irritation.
• All users should read SDS for heptane before they start using the liquid.

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With these precautionary measures, you should be able to properly handle the substance.