MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone)

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, 2-butanone, C4H8O, CAS 78-93-3) is a fast-evaporating ketone solvent with strong solvency for resins, supplied by Global Chemicals LLC at 99.5% minimum purity as a clear, colourless liquid with a boiling point of 80 °C and a flash point of −9 °C, in 1 L, 4 L and 20 L containers, 200 L drums and 1,000 L IBCs from stock in Muscat and Rusayl Industrial Area.

What it dissolves. MEK is one of the strongest common solvents for vinyl, acrylic, nitrocellulose, epoxy and polyurethane resins, and it is miscible with most organic solvents, which makes it the active solvent in high-solids industrial coatings, automotive refinishing thinners, gravure and flexographic printing inks, contact adhesives for PVC and rubber, and paint strippers. It evaporates about four times faster than xylene, so coatings and inks flash off quickly in the hot, dry conditions of Oman's workshops and presses, and it leaves no residue, which is why it is the degreasing and surface-preparation solvent for aluminium before bonding and painting. In the oilfield it appears in wax-inhibitor and pipeline-pigging formulations; in manufacturing it is a dewaxing solvent, a reaction medium and an intermediate.

Handling: MEK is highly flammable (UN 1193, Class 3) with vapour heavier than air, so store drums closed, cool and bunded in a ventilated area away from ignition sources and oxidisers, earth and bond containers during transfer, and use explosion-proof equipment. It defats skin and irritates eyes and airways; wear butyl or laminate gloves rather than nitrile, which MEK penetrates, plus goggles, and keep vapour within the workplace exposure limit. It softens many plastics, so use metal or HDPE containers, never PVC. Every delivery carries a certificate of analysis giving purity, water content and colour, a technical data sheet and a GHS safety data sheet.

Delivery is same day within Muscat and Rusayl, next day to Sohar, Salalah and Duqm, and by road across the GCC with a certificate of origin. Request a quote with the pack size and monthly volume; for slower, milder solvents see our mineral spirits and naphtha pages.