What is benzophenone used for?
Dec 17, 2021Benzophenone is a colorless prismatic crystal with sweet taste and rose fragrance. It has a melting point of 47-49°C, a relative density of 1.1146, and a refractive index of 1.6077. It is soluble in organic solvents and monomers such as ethanol, ether and chloroform, but insoluble in water.
Specification:
Item |
Specification |
Appearance |
White flake |
Purity |
99.5%min |
Melting Point |
47.5-49.0 |
Low Boilers |
0.1%max |
High Boilers |
0.2%max |
Usage:
Benzophenone is widely used as a photoinitiator for inks and varnishes that are cured with UV light. In addition to being a drying catalyst, benzophenone is an excellent wetting agent for pigments; it can also be used in printing to improve the rheological properties and increase the flow of inks by acting as a reactive solvent.
Benzophenone can also be added to plastic packaging as a UV blocker to prevent photo-degradation of the packaging polymers or its contents. Its use allows manufacturers to package the product in clear glass or plastic (such as a PETE water bottle). Without it, opaque or dark packaging would be required.