Making Isobutylene

Welcome to Episode 15 of Molecular Playground! In this video, I dehydrate tert-butanol into isobutylene! Isobutylene is a super versatile reagent—even more so than tert-butanol. It can react with hydrogen halides to form tert-butyl halides. Elemental halogens add onto the alkene to form vicinal halides. Peracids and hypohalites like sodium hypochlorite can turn isobutene into an epoxide. Certain acid catalysts like Lewis acids can polymerize it into polyisobutene. Those acids can also couple it with isobutane to form motor octane!

WARNING!
Isobutylene is highly flammable! Keep away from fire sources! Do Not Try this at home.

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