Industrial Grade N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone CAS 2687-91-4
- CAS: 2687-91-4
- EINECS: 220-250-6
- Molecular Formula: C6H11NO
- Abbreviation: NEP
- Grade: Industrial Grade
- Packaging: 200 kg drum / 1,000 L IBC / Bulk supply
In contrast with general purpose solvents which are primarily chosen based on cost, NEP is typically selected as a practical compromise of its solvency, boiling point, and chemical stability. It works excellently when the dissolution of resins, coating uniformity, or polymer compatibility affects manufacturing efficiency.
Tree Chem supplies Industrial Grade NEP to our customers who require stable product quality, controlled moisture content, and reliable long-term supply. Used either in chemical synthesis, industrial cleaning, coating production, or electronic materials, we manufacture this product so that it can be used continuously by industry rather than only at lab scale.
Specification
Basic Information
| Item | Specification |
| Product Name | N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone |
| Abbreviation | NEP |
| CAS No. | 2687-91-4 |
| Molecular Formula | C6H11NO |
| Molecular Weight | 113.16 |
| EINECS No. | 220-250-6 |
| Synonyms | 1-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone; N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone; 2-Pyrrolidinone, 1-ethyl- |
Technical Specification
| Test Item | Industrial Grade |
| Purity (GC, wt%) | ≥99.5 |
| Water (K.F., wt%) | ≤0.10 |
| Color (Hazen) | ≤50 |
| Density (20°C, g/ml) | 0.990–0.999 |
| pH (10% aq.) | 6–10 |
| Total Amine (ppm) | ≤50 |
Applications
- Pharmaceutical and API Processing
The main reason for using N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone in pharmaceutical processing lies in its strong solvency and polar aprotic nature. It helps to dissolve polar intermediates, heterocyclic compounds and other organic materials which cannot easily handled by lower polarity solvents during API synthesis; thus being useful in reaction screening, intermediate preparation and process development.
NEP could be assessed as a solvent or co-solvent in pharmaceutical formulation research if there’s an active compound that has poor solubility and needs better dispersion or dissolution. Such usage generally requires strict safety, residue and regulatory assessment, hence this type of application is more common in controlled R&D work rather than simple finished products.
To pharmaceutical customers, their concern is mostly about purity, water content, impurity profile and residual solvent control. Stable quality material is more useful than meeting just a basic assay number.
- Agrochemical Formulation and Intermediate Synthesis
Agrochemical Formulation Work N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone has been applied in agrochemical formulation work due to many pesticides having poor solubility in water or common solvents. For emulsifiable concentrates (soluble liquids or specialty solvent blends), NEP helps dissolve active ingredients and improves formulation stability.
For agrochemical intermediate synthesis, this product can serve as a reaction solvent for polar organic systems. Suitable for route development when you require a strong solvent environment for nitrogen-containing, aromatic or moderately polar intermediates.
NEP should still be described with care; it is not an active agricultural ingredient on its own but rather acts like a solvent, processing medium or intermediate synthesis aid within crop protection chemistry.
- Electronics and Precision Cleaning
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone can be applied as a cleaning and stripping system for electronics due to its ability to dissolve many organic residues, polymers and process contaminants. For printed circuit board manufacturing, semiconductor related cleaning, or photoresist removal research, such solvents are useful in removing difficult organic deposits from surfaces.
It is better suited for controlled industrial application rather than typical household cleaning. Metal ion content, moisture, color and residue level will be more critical than normal industrial specs when using this material in electronics applications.
Compatibility with plastics, metals, coatings and sealing materials must be tested before applying it in precision cleaning. Good results depend upon solvent strength along with temperature, contact time, rinsing method and waste treatment design.
- Coatings, Resins and Ink Systems
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone could find application in coatings, resin systems and ink related areas that require strong organic solvency. This may assist in dissolving certain binders, resins or polymers as well as improving the handling of high-solids systems while developing them.
NEP might be applied for adjusting viscosity, improved flow or film formation in some coating systems. Also it can be tested in resin modification work when a polar solvent is required to maintain the uniformity of the reaction mixture.
Due to regulations and safety concerns, customers typically test this solvent with potential alternatives prior to its commercial use. In industrial coatings, decisions are generally based upon performance, cost, odor, volatility, worker exposure limits and local compliance requirements.
- Industrial Cleaning and Polymer Residue Removal
The use of N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone: In industry, this solvent is commonly applied as a cleaning agent when other solvents fail to remove heavy organic residues. It can be used to clean polymer deposits, resin contamination, adhesive residues or surface of process equipment.
It’s widely used in factories handling plastics, coatings, adhesives, polyurethane materials or specialty resins. This solvent softens or dissolves the residues so they can be cleaned mechanically or rinsed easily afterwards.
In practice, these issues are generally simple ones. How does the solvent attack the equipment material? At what speed will it remove the residue? Can it be recovered? And how do we treat the waste liquid? Using NEP can solve these problems pretty well.
- Polymer and Specialty Material Processing
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone is compatible with many polar organic materials; therefore, it finds use in polymer and specialty material processing. It can be tested in lab and pilot scale as a solvent for polymer dissolution, resin processing or specialty material preparation.
It can also find utility in development of high performance materials where a stable solvent environment at elevated temperature is required due to its relative high boiling point which enables staying in the system longer than most low boiling solvents.
NEP is typically assessed alongside NMP, DMSO, DMF and other polar solvents within this field. The best choice will depend upon solubility, evaporation behavior, regulatory status, toxicity profile and downstream removal method.
- Petrochemical and Extraction Processes
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone: Petrochemical Processing / Extraction Work N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone has been used for petrochemical processing and extraction where it dissolves specific organics. Some separation processes use polar aprotic solvents to increase extraction efficiencies or make difficult separations possible. For hydrocarbon processing NEP could be assessed as an extraction solvent or process solvent if traditional solvent systems don’t provide sufficient selectivity. Also consider in pilot study for separating aromatic, unsaturated or polarizable organic components This is a technical application which relies heavily on process design. Check temperature, solvent ratio, feed composition, recovery efficiency and solvent stability prior to commercial operation.
Comparison of Industrial Grade NEP with Neighboring Products
| Item | Industrial Grade N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone NEP | N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone NMP | N-Benzyl-2-pyrrolidone |
| Product Positioning | An industrial polar solvent used where good dissolving power and stable processing behavior are required. | A well-established polar aprotic solvent, already used in many mature industrial processes. | A specialty pyrrolidone derivative, mainly used as a fine chemical or pharmaceutical intermediate. |
| Main Application Direction | Commonly seen in agrochemical formulations, resin dissolution, coatings, inks, cleaning agents and polymer-related processing. | Widely used in polymer processing, battery materials, electronic cleaning, coatings and petrochemical separation. | More often used in synthesis routes for pharmaceutical intermediates, agrochemical intermediates and heterocyclic compounds. |
| Typical Customer Type | Formulation plants, coating and ink producers, cleaning product manufacturers, electronic cleaning suppliers and polymer processors. | Large solvent users, battery material producers, electronics plants, coating manufacturers and chemical processing companies. | Fine chemical factories, pharmaceutical intermediate producers, custom synthesis companies and R&D laboratories. |
| Key Advantage | Offers strong solvency and gives formulators another pyrrolidone solvent option when they need to adjust an existing system. | Has broader market acceptance, more application data and easier large-volume sourcing in many regions. | Provides a benzyl-substituted nitrogen-containing structure that can be carried into downstream synthesis. |
| Difference from NEP | NEP is the main industrial solvent in this comparison, with emphasis on solvency, compatibility and process performance. | NMP is closer to NEP in application, but it is more familiar to most industrial users and has a longer use history. | This product is not mainly sold as a solvent; its value is in the molecular structure used for synthesis. |
| Industrial Grade Focus | Customers usually check assay, moisture, color, acidity, impurity profile, batch consistency and actual performance in their own formulation. | Users often focus on purity, water content, color, impurity control, recovery efficiency and compliance requirements. | Buyers care more about purity, impurity profile, water content and whether the material fits the target synthesis route. |
| Selection Suggestion | NEP can be considered when the user needs a polar solvent for formulation, cleaning, resin dissolution or polymer processing. | NMP is usually chosen when the process already has proven data and the customer wants a familiar solvent system. | N-Benzyl-2-pyrrolidone is more appropriate when the customer is looking for a pyrrolidone-based intermediate rather than a bulk solvent. |
| Replacement Relationship | NEP may be tested in some NMP-related systems, but the result depends on compatibility, performance and local compliance. | NMP is often used as the reference product when customers compare pyrrolidone solvents. | It should not be presented as a direct replacement for NEP, because the application logic is different. |
| Sales Communication Point | Present NEP as an industrial solvent for system testing, especially when solubility, cleaning strength or resin compatibility is the main concern. | Use NMP as a comparison point when customers already know this solvent or have an existing NMP-based process. | Recommend it only when the inquiry is about synthesis intermediates, route development or benzyl-substituted pyrrolidone structures. |
Usage Notice
- Agrochemical Soluble Liquid Formulation
The usual agrochemical soluble liquid system includes: active ingredient (N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone), auxiliary solvent, surfactant and stabilizer. NEP primarily acts as an excellent solvent of difficult-to-dissolve active ingredients that keeps the formulation clear in storage.
It can be used if the active ingredient has poor water solubility or requires a polar organic environment. Compatibility test, low temperature storage evaluation and dilution stability check are required on the final formulation prior to scale-up.
- Emulsifiable Concentrate System
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone can be mixed into a combination of aromatic solvent, emulsifier and pesticide active ingredient for use as emulsifiable concentrate; it improves dissolution of active ingredient and reduces crystallization risk in the concentrate.
NEP content usually depends on the solubility of active ingredient and target formulation cost: if there is not enough solvent, then precipitation will occur but excessive solvent affects safety labeling, odor and regulatory acceptance.
- Pharmaceutical Intermediate Reaction System
In a pharmaceutical intermediate reaction system: Main solvent (N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone) + Organic intermediates, Catalyst, Base or Coupling Reagent The solvent creates a polar reaction environment that maintains good contact among reactants in such a process.
More about process efficiency rather than just dissolution. An appropriate solvent affects conversion, impurity formation and purification difficulty; therefore NEP will be compared against other polar solvents when doing route screening.
- Polymer Dissolution System
A polymer dissolution system can include: N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, polymer resin, temperature control and optional co-solvent. NEP dissolves/disperses the polymer for subsequent processing/casting/reaction to be more even.
Useful when researching specialty resins, high-performance polymers or coating binders. Result varies based upon polymer type, molecular weight, temperature, mixing time and solvent removal method.
- Coating and Ink Adjustment System
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone is useful in coating and ink development when combined with resin, pigment dispersion, additive package and other solvents. It helps adjust viscosity, improves resin compatibility for a smooth processing of formulations trials.
Selecting a solvent must take into account the whole formulation, not just dissolving power. Consider drying behavior, odor, VOCs, worker exposure as well as compatibility with packaging materials.
- Petrochemical Extraction System
In a petrochemical extraction system, using N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone as a selective solvent along with hydrocarbon feed, extraction column conditions and solvent recovery steps can help separation based on different solubilities and polarities. The key benefit is not just its ability to dissolve hydrocarbons; it has potential for improving selectivity given proper operating conditions. Users must verify recovery efficiency, thermal stability and effect of recycled solvent quality before scale-up.
- Quality Control and Batch Evaluation
N-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidone is typically assayed, moisture, color, acidity, impurity profile and appearance for quality control. This information determines if it can be used pharmaceutically, electronically, industrially or formulated.
A stable batch profile is more important than one with a high assay during customer qualification. Customers want to know that this will behave consistently in their own formulation, cleaning process or reaction system.
Why Industrial Manufacturers Choose NEP?
Rather than choosing only by purity specifications, industrial users consider:
- Solvent performance in actual production
- Resin compatibility
- Moisture control
- Batch consistency
- Long-term supply capability
- Export packaging options
Many of these practical factors are far more important for manufacturing efficiency than laboratory specifications alone.
Storage & Handling
- Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated warehouse.
- Avoid exposure to moisture, direct sunlight or excess heat.
- Away from oxidizing agents and other incompatible chemicals.
- Wear proper protection when handling.
- Comply with local regulations regarding industrial chemical storage.
Packaging
- 200 kg steel drum
- 200 kg HDPE drum
- 1,000 L IBC tote
- Bulk tanker supply available upon request
- Customized packaging can be arranged according to customer requirements.
