What is Normal Hexane?

Normal Hexane is a chemical made from crude oil. Pure Normal Hexane is a colorless liquid with a slightly disagreeable odor. It evaporates very easily into the air and dissolves only slightly in water. Normal Hexane is highly flammable, and its vapors can be explosive.

Pure Normal Hexane is used in laboratories. Most of the Normal Hexane used in industry is mixed with similar chemicals in products known as solvents. Common names for some of these solvents are “commercial hexane,” “mixed hexanes,” “petroleum ether,” and “petroleum naphtha.” An older name for these types of solvents is “petroleum benzene.” Several hundred million pounds of Normal Hexane are produced in the United States each year in the form of these solvents. The major use for solvents containing Normal Hexane is to extract vegetable oils from crops such as soybeans. They are also used as cleaning agents in the printing, textile, furniture, and shoemaking industries. Certain kinds of special glues used in the roofing and the shoe and leather industries also contain Normal Hexane. Several consumer products contain Normal Hexane. For example, gasoline contains about 1–3% Normal Hexane. Normal Hexane is also present in rubber cement.