IPA Chemicals: Isopropyl Alcohol as a Solvent Ingredient

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Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is one of the most widely used industrial chemical compounds in the world. Common applications include: cleaning electronic components (e.g., contact pins) cleaning magnetic tape and disk heads, cleaning laser lenses in optical disc drives (e.g., CD and DVD), removing thermal paste IC packages (e.g., CPUs), and dissolving various types of accumulations, including oils, gums, alkaloids, and natural resins.

Using IPA to Create IPA Chemicals

High-purity IPA is often used as cleaning solvent by itself, but it can also be used to create other solvents and potential solvent ingredients. As a solvent ingredient, the alcohol is commonly used to produce the following IPA chemicals, among others:

  • Isopropyl acetate (solvent)
  • Sodium isopropylxanthate (herbicide and ore flotation reagent)
  • Titanium isopropoxide (chemical catalyst)
  • Aluminium isopropoxide (chemical reagent)
  • 2-bromopopane (solvent)
  • Acetone (solvent)

As a chemical base for solvents, IPA is highly prefered for any application for which using aqueous solvents would be counterintuitive. Often, the primary value of IPA for these applications is its fast evaporation rate compared to the evaporation rate of water, and the fact that isopropyl alcohol leaves no residue on any type of material.

These qualities are major reasons why IPA and IPA chemicals are used to clean complex electronics. IPA’s fast evaporation rate helps prevent metal and other materials from corroding and failing prematurely. IPA’s lack of residue helps prevent cleaned materials from attracting soils that readily attach to residues, and require cleaning to be performed more frequently than if  non-residue solvent were used.

Choosing an IPA Chemicals Supplier

Some organizations order industrial strength IPA (99% purity) and create their own IPA chemicals that have unique properties — a process that essentially amounts to solvent customization — while other users order custom IPA chemicals straight from the manufacturer. If you need custom chemicals, and you don’t have the time or infrastructure to produce them in-house, Ecolink can formulate the customized solutions you need on short order.

We also offer a wide selection of solvents that use IPA as an active ingredient and display great efficacy for cleaning materials from which IPA excels at removing soils. Step one is determining whether a viable stock solution exists, as stock solutions are ready for shipment and tend to cost a bit less than custom solvents. If stock solvents aren’t an option, you need a custom solution.

Need IPA or IPA-Derived Chemicals?

If so, Ecolink is a great place to find what you need. We offer both industrial strength IPA and chemicals derived from high-purity IPA, with the latter available in unique custom blends. If you need a custom product, we’ll create one whose ingredients aren’t regulated or scheduled for regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and supply it in the volume you need, when you need it.

To get started on ordering high-purity IPA and/or IPA chemicals, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email using the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you achieve a great first pass yield (FPY) rate for all of your IPA-based cleaning operations!