Trimethylolpropane


Trimethylolpropane is the organic compound with the formula CH3CH2C3. This colourless to white solid with a faint odor is a triol. Containing three hydroxy functional groups, TMP is a widely used building block in the polymer industry.

Production

TMP is produced via a two step process, starting with the condensation of butyraldehyde with formaldehyde:
The second step entails a Cannizzaro reaction:
Approximately 200,000,000 kg are produced annually in this way.

Applications

TMP is mainly consumed as a precursor to alkyd resins. Otherwise, acrylated and alkoxylated TMP's are used as multifunctional monomers to produce various coatings, Ethoxylated and propoxylated TMP, derived condensation of from TMP and the epoxides, are used for production of flexible polyurethanes. Allyl ether derivatives of TMP, with the formula CH3CH2C3-xx are precursors to high-gloss coatings and ion exchange resins. The oxetane "TMPO" is a photoinduceable polymerisation initiator. It is may also be reacted with epichlorohydrin to produce the triglycidyl ether.