1-Pentanol

1-Pentanol, (or n-pentanol, pentan-1-ol), is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2OH and is classified as a primary alcohol. It is a colourless liquid with a distinctive aroma. It is one of 8 isomeric alcohols with the formula C5H11OH. It is used as a solvent, a biological drying agent and in the synthesis of some fragrance compounds. It is also a common component of fusel alcohols (fusel oils), the undesirable byproducts of alcoholic fermentation.

Preparation
1-Pentanol is prepared from 1-butene by hydroformylation followed by hydrogenation of the resulting pentanal.
 * CH3CH2CH\dCH2 + CO  +  H2  ->  CH3CH2CH2CH2CHO
 * CH3CH2CH2CH2CHO + H2  ->  CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2OH

Pentanol can be prepared by fractional distillation of fusel oil. To reduce the use of fossil fuels, research is underway to develop cost-effective methods of producing (chemically identical) bio-pentanol with fermentation.

Uses and occurrence
The hydroxyl group (OH) is the active site of many reactions. The ester formed from 1-pentanol and butyric acid is pentyl butyrate, which has an apricot-like odor. The ester formed from 1-pentanol and acetic acid is amyl acetate (also called pentyl acetate), which has a banana-like odor.

It is a precursor to dipentyl zinc dithiophosphates, which are used in froth flotation.

In 2014, a study was conducted comparing the performance of diesel fuel blends with various proportions of pentanol as an additive. While gaseous emissions increased with higher concentrations of pentanol, particulate emissions decreased.

Pentanol is often used as a solvent.