Page 184 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

OTHER NAMES:
BHA and BHT
FORMULA:
BHA: C 11 H 16 O 2 ; BHT: Butylated Hydroxy-
C 15 H 24 O
anisole and Butylated
ELEMENTS:
Carbon, hydrogen,
Hydroxytoluene
oxygen
COMPOUND TYPE:
Organic
STATE:
Solid KE OVERVIEW
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BYOO-til-ay-ted hi-DROK-see-
BHA: 180.24 g/mol; ANN-i-sole) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BYOO-til-ay-ted hi-
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: Y
DROK-see-TOL-yoo-een) are very popular food additives used to
preserve fats and oils. They both are antioxidants, which are
BHT: 220.35 g/mol F
MELTING POINT: A
compounds that prevent oxygen from reacting with sub-
stances and changing them into other materials. BHA and
BHA: 51 C (124 F); C
BHT prevent the oxidation of fats and oils that would convert
BHT: 71 C (160 F) T
them into rancid, foul-smelling, harmful products.

BHA: 268 C (514 F);
BOILING POINT: S

BHT: 265 C (509 F) BHA is a white or pale yellow waxy solid with a faint
pleasant odor. BHT is a white crystalline solid. Both compounds
SOLUBILITY:
aremembers of thephenolfamilyof organic compounds. The
Both are insoluble in
phenols are compounds containing a benzene ring of six carbon
water and soluble in
ethyl alcohol; BHT is atoms to which is attached at least one hydroxyl (-OH) group.
also soluble in acetone
and benzene
HOW IT IS MADE
A variety of methods are available for the preparation of
BHA. The most common method involves the reaction
CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS 133