29 Hexane Uses : Facts You Should Know!

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Hexane is a colourless volatile liquid that gives a gasoline like odour. It is used as a special purpose solvent in different industries. Let us now study some more uses of hexane.

Hexane is a natural component of crude petroleum. Hexane is used on a broad scale in several industries, namely;

  • Chemical laboratories
  • Chromatography
  • Cleaning agent
  • Cosmetic industry / Beauty industry
  • Art and Craft industry  
  • Food industry
  • Glue
  • Automotive and Petrochemical industry
  • Leather industry
  • Furniture industry           

This article will highlight in detail the different uses of hexane in the leather and shoe industry, textile, paint and rubber cement, extraction of oil, etc.

Chemical laboratories

  • Hexane is used in laboratory for reactions involving very strong bases such as organolithiums.
  • For certain analytical processes, C6H14 is the main ingredient in bringing out oil and grease pollutants from soil and water.
  • C6H14 is used especially in the reactions involving iodide and bromide ions.
  • C6H14 undergoes a combustion reaction to form carbon dioxide and water molecules.

                    2C6H14  +  19O2  =  12CO2  +  14H2O

  • C6H14 isomers are largely unreactive and are frequently used as an inert solvent in organic reactions because of their non-polar nature.
  • C6H14 reacts rapidly with oxidising agents. For instance, liquid Cl2, concentrated O2, and NaClO.

Chromatography

  • Hexane is used as a solvent in NPLC (normal phase liquid chromatography).
  • C6H14 is added to organic modifiers to increase liquid content in order to achieve better efficiency in preparative SFC (supercritical fluid chromatography) for poorly retained compounds.
  • Hexane is used as a non-polar solvent in chromatography.

Cleaning agent

  • C6H14 is used as a cleaning agent in the manufacturing of textiles.
  • C6H14 is used as a degreaser in the printing industry.
  • C6H14 is used in the military and aerospace industries as a cleaning agent.

Cosmetic industry / Beauty industry

  • Hexane is used as a key ingredient in natural beauty products.
  • The extraction of oils by hexane are used for hair and skin. These oils are castor oil, almond oil, and argan oil.
  • The oils extracted from C6H14 are added to products like shampoos, lotions, and conditioners.
  • C6H14 is used for the extraction of aromas in the perfume industry.

Art and Craft industry

  • Commercial grade hexane is used as a solvent for varnishes, glues, and adhesives.
  • C6H14 is used in spray paints and craft paints.
  • C6H14 is used as stain removers for art and craft projects.
  • C6H14  is used in rubber polymerisation to manufacture synthetic rubber.

Food industry

  • C6H14 is utilized for the extraction of oils from seeds and vegetable crops such as soybeans, nuts and corn, canola, cotton seed, mustard seed, safflower seed, flax, etc. which are then processed into food.
  • C6H14 can extract vegetable oil without disturbing the nutrient content of vegetables.
  • Hexane solvent is used to extract fish protein, shea butter, and a variety of flavour extracts.

Glue

  • C6H14 is used in the production of glue because its combination with non-soluble compounds makes it an excellent adhesive.
  • C6H14 , present in glues, is used in shoemaking.
  • C6H14 is also used in roofing.

Automotive and Petrochemical industry

C6H14 is a highly evaporative component of the paraffin fraction of crude oil and natural gas. It is used as a constituent of heating and motor fuels.

Leather industry

The application of C6H14 includes use in leather dressing particularly in assembling shoes. It is applied as a lubricant on leather in order to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Leather dressing plays an important role in retaining the flexibility of leather and safeguarding it from upcoming humidity changes.

Furniture industry

C6H14 is used in the furniture industry as wood veneers which are manufactured from adhesives, lacquers, and cleaners.

Conclusion

Hexane is a preferred solvent because of its low solubility, low boiling point, affordability, easy miscibility, low impurities, and low surface tension. The other name for C6H14 is sextane. It occurs in five isomeric forms. C6H14 flows rapidly due to its weaker intermolecular forces.