User:Mutinus/MEKP

Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) is an organic peroxide similar to acetone peroxide. MEKP is a colorless, oily liquid with an odor similar to that of acetone. MEKP is a strong oxidizer and a severe irritant. Pure MEKP is shock sensitive, and is therefore diluted for commercial and industrial use as a catalyst for the room temperature polymerization of polyester resins.

Commercially available MEKP is a mixture of two different forms: the monomer, C4H10O4, and the dimer, C8H18O6. It may also exist as a cyclic dimer (with the formula C8H16O4), as well as higher cyclic oligomers.

Production
Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide is produced by the reaction between butanone and hydrogen peroxide. Temperature and the use of a catalyst such as nitric, sulfuric, or hydrochloric acid will affect the resulting yield of each oligomer.

To prevent detonation, MEKP is diluted