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Isopentane is a flammable organic compound used in cosmetics, insulation production, and geothermal power plants. It evaporates easily, smells like gasoline, and does not dissolve in water. Isopentane has a lower boiling point than pentane due to branching. It is used in laboratories to freeze biological samples and in binary cycle power plants to generate electricity. It is harmful to the environment and classified as a lung, skin, and eye irritant.
Isopentane is an organic compound with a variety of uses, ranging from being an ingredient in cosmetics to being a component in a type of geothermal power plant. This solvent is extremely flammable. Its tendency to evaporate makes it useful for dissolving compounds, as it evaporates easily. This chemical smells like gasoline and does not dissolve in water, but floats on top of it. It is considered harmful to the environment.
Also known as methylbutane, this compound has a formula of C5H12. It is known as a hydrocarbon, as it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms. The structure of this compound is CH3CHCH2CH3, with a methyl group – CH3 – attached to the second carbon. Pentane has the same formula, but has a structure of CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3 with no branching. These two compounds are known as structural isomers.
This branching lowers the boiling point of isopentane, relative to pentane. Its boiling point is only 103°F (27.9°C). The flash point of this compound is relatively high, at -68°F (-55°C). This combination of characteristics is responsible for the extreme flammability of the chemical. If there is a fire, water should not be sprayed on it. This can lead to the compound floating to the surface of the water and possibly catching fire again.
Mixed with other compounds, however, isopentane can be quite stable. It is often used in a variety of cosmetics, including shaving gel, body wash, and specific types of toothpaste. Insulation production is another use for this compound.
In laboratories, isopentane is used to take a bath in liquid nitrogen. It is quite common to prepare tissue for -94°F (-70°C) storage by immersing it in liquid nitrogen. This flash freezing process preserves such biological samples.
A container of isopentane can be placed in a larger container of liquid nitrogen. When the solvent becomes cloudy, it is close to freezing. It is then removed from the liquid nitrogen and used to freeze the sample. It is important to allow the solvent to evaporate before storing the sample in a freezer.
Another use of isopentane is in a type of geothermal plant known as a binary cycle power plant. Geothermal plants draw thermal energy deep within the earth and convert it into electricity. This type of geothermal plant can use cooler reservoirs than other types. This is because hot water from geothermal energy heats liquid isopentane and turns it into gas. This gas then drives a turbine and generator to generate the power plant’s electricity.
The density of isopentane is 0.616 g/ml. Its molecular weight is 72.15 g/mol. It is important to remember that this compound is classified as a lung, skin and eye irritant.
