Heptane is an organic compound with the chemical formula C7H16. It is a colorless, volatile liquid. It is primarily used as a standard for determining octane ratings, and can also serve as an anesthetic, solvent, raw material for organic synthesis, and in the preparation of experimental reagents.

Main Uses

Primarily used as a standard for determining octane ratings, and can also serve as an anesthetic, solvent, raw material for organic synthesis, and in the preparation of experimental reagents.

Production Method

The n-heptane content in the raffinate oil (93-102°C) fraction from platinum reforming reaches over 57%. The n-alkanes in the base are adsorbed using 5A molecular sieve in the gas phase, followed by steam desorption to separate the n-alkanes. Through nickel-catalyzed hydrogenation, the small amount of n-alkenes is saturated and converted into n-alkanes, with the iodine value reduced to below 0.1g iodine/100g to meet the standard. Finally, high-purity standard n-heptane with a purity of 99.9% is obtained through distillation. Industrial-grade n-heptane can also be purified using methods such as concentrated sulfuric acid washing and methanol azeotropic distillation.