Isophorone Has Been Widely Used in Industrial Circle

The chemical name of Isophorone is 3, 5, 5-Trimethyl-2-Cyclohexene-1-One. It is the C9 degradation products of carotenoid. It occurs naturally in tobacco, mushroom, alcohol, chrysanthemum and pomelo juicy and smells like wood of camphor. It also can be used as perfume material in the essences. So far isophorone has been used as an important high-boiling solvent in paints and in medicine, plastic and the intermediate in synthetic perfume. Isophorone is the derivative product of acetone in industry. It is received by condensation reaction when acetone is with basic catalyst, and then in dehydration and cyclization. 

Isophorone is the white liquid and with mint fragrance. It is slightly soluble in water and is easy to soluble in most organic solvent. It mainly is used as solvent and chemically synthetic intermediate of oil, gum, resin, paint and nitrocellulose. Isophorone is low in toxicity, but has stimulating effect on eye, mucosa and skin, and if people touch it, they will be fidgety. Because of its high boiling point, we can't see any report about severe or chronic poisoning of isophorone in actual production. When isophorone mix to air, it will be the explosive mixture and if it contact with fire, high temperature and oxidizing agent, it will burn or explode. 

Isophorone is a kind of good high-boiling solvent, which is widely used for painting limousine shell and food can inside coating and even paints, oil, pesticide. It is the raw material for preparing many fine chemicals. According to the analysis of high-boiling solvent wholesale, isophorone is always applied to polyurethane, adhesive, paints, printing ink, medicine and pesticide. When isophorone is in process, hydrogenation and phosgenation, it becomes IPDI which is the important aliphatic isocyanate in polyurethane paints. IPDI is the necessary material for producing polyurethane with light resistance and climate resistance. It can be in the reaction of polyester polyols and polyether polyols and get polyurethane resin of excellent yellowing resistance, mechanical property and chemical resistance. 

The earliest paint was made by TDI. But it is not good at yellowing resistance and it is used for dark paints. With the development of paints, especially the increasing demands for decorative and climate resistance paints and polyurethane paints, IPDI which is processed by isophorone has been one of the raw materials of paints. IPDI is good at solubleness and can dissolve in aromatics solvent. It can improve the dryness, hardness and oil resistance, when adding into short oil alkyd enamel. As solvent for paints and varnishes, IPDI is mainly used for refinishing paint. 

In addition, isophorone can prepare trimethyl adipic acid which is the important intermediate for synthesizing new plasticizer, lubricant, diamine and glycol. It is the hardy antifreeze solvent in a kind of herbicide “DCPA”, which is demanded a lot in high latitude area.