Skip to content
diethylene glycol

Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)

EntityQ421902· pop 33· linked from 103 articles

diethylene glycol

Sign in to save

Also known as diglycol, dihydroxy diethyl ether, DEG, beta,beta'-dihydroxydiethyl ether, 2,2'-dihydroxydiethyl ether, bis(beta-hydroxyethyl) ether, 2,2'-oxybisethanol, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether

chemical compound

Chemical data

Formula
C4H10O3
Molecular weight
106.12 g/mol
IUPAC name
2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethanol
SMILES
C(COCCO)O
InChIKey
MTHSVFCYNBDYFN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
-1.3
Polar surface area
49.7 Ų
H-bond donors
2
H-bond acceptors
3
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

~29 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2CH2)2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is a four-carbon dimer of ethylene glycol. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent. It can be a normal ingredient in various consumer products, and it can be a contaminant. DEG has also been misused to sweeten wine and beer, and to viscosify oral and topical pharmaceutical products. Its use has resulted in many epidemics of poisoning since the early 20th century.

Preparation

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “diethylene glycol” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.