Methyl tert-butyl ether appears as a colorless liquid with a distinctive anesthetic-like odor. Vapors are heavier than air and narcotic. Boiling point 131°F. Flash point 18°F. Less dense than water and miscible in water. Used as a octane booster in gasoline.Methyl tert-butyl ether is an ether having methyl and tert-butyl as the two alkyl components. It has a role as a non-polar solvent, a fuel additive and a metabolite.

1. Mainly used as a gasoline additive with excellent anti-knock properties to increase octane rating. It can also be cracked to produce isobutylene.

2. It has good miscibility with gasoline, low water absorption, and is environmentally friendly. It can be used as an analytical solvent and extractant, as a stripping agent in chromatography, especially high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and forms azeotropes with polar solvents such as water, methanol and ethanol.

3. MTBE is also an important chemical raw material. For example, high-purity isobutylene can be prepared by cracking, which is used in the production of MMA and butyl rubber. It can also be used to produce 2-methylacrolein, methacrylic acid, isoprene, etc.

4. Pharmaceutical applications. Methyl tert-butyl ether also has mild anesthetic effects.