Petroleum Ether 60-80C is that fraction of petroleum that contains aliphatic hydrocarbons. ... When you buy Petroleum Ether 60C-80C AR Grade and LR Grade the advantage is their high boiling point which reduces fire hazards.
Petroleum ethers are extremely volatile, have very low flash points, and present a significant fire hazard. ... The naphtha mixtures that are distilled at a lower boiling temperature have a higher volatility and, generally speaking, a higher degree of toxicity than the higher boiling fractions.
Petroleum ether is mostly used by pharmaceutical companies and in the manufacturing process. It is also commonly used for recreational purposes as an inhalant drug. It is a lightweight hydrocarbon used chiefly as a nonpolar solvent.
It is truly an ether, in the language of organic nomenclature, since it has an oxygen atom with carbons on either side, which is the criteria for the ether classification. Strangely, petroleum ether is not an ether and, in fact, it is not even a single chemical.
