What High Purity Iso-Butane Means on the Lot Analysis
Purity claims are easy to make and harder to document. This one comes with numbers. The guarantee is 99.5% and the lot analysis reports isobutane above 99.8%. N-butane comes in under 2,000 ppm, propane under 250 ppm, water under 3 ppm, and sulfur is non-detected. Methane and ethane each come in under 1 ppm. Those traces separate an instrument-grade solvent from a hardware-store cylinder. Whatever is in the tank besides the solvent has to go somewhere.
Why This R600A Tank Carries No Odorant
Consumer LP gas is deliberately dosed with ethyl mercaptan so a leak announces itself. This is not that. There are no hydrogen-sulfide-based mercaptan odorants in the tank, which is the entire reason it is clean, colorless and odorless. It also means the usual safety cue is absent. Ventilation and gas monitoring become the operator responsibility rather than the smell. The tank is a DOT refillable LP vessel with a dip tube for liquid withdrawal, shipping under UN1969, hazard class 2.1. R600A is the refrigerant designation for the same molecule, so HVAC buyers and extraction operators are looking at one product under two names.
Key Features
- 99.5% guaranteed, 99.8%+ on the lot: Documented purity with a published trace analysis rather than an unsupported claim on the label.
- Sulfur non-detected: Nothing sulfurous carries through, which is what mercaptan-dosed consumer gas cannot say.
- No ethyl mercaptan odorant: Clean, colorless and odorless, at the cost of the leak smell you would otherwise rely on.
- R600A / UN1969, hazard class 2.1: The refrigerant and transport designations, so it matches whichever spec sheet you are working from.
- DOT refillable LP tank with dip tube: Liquid withdrawal from a transport-rated vessel rather than a decanted consumer cylinder.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Solvent | Iso-butane |
| Refrigerant Designation | R600A |
| Guaranteed Purity | 99.5% |
| Lot Analysis - Isobutane | >99.8% |
| N-Butane | <2000 ppm |
| Propane | <250 ppm |
| Methane | <1 ppm |
| Ethane | <1 ppm |
| Isopentane | <2 ppm |
| Water | <3 ppm |
| CO + CO2 | <5 ppm |
| Oxygen | <5 ppm |
| Nitrogen | <10 ppm |
| Sulfur | Non-detected |
| Odorant | None - no ethyl mercaptan |
| Tank | DOT refillable LP, dip tube for liquid withdrawal |
| UN Number | UN1969, hazard class 2.1 |
| Origin | USA sourced |
Handling, Shipping and Regulatory Notes
- Use only in a well-ventilated area, and only for purposes permitted under your local laws and ordinances.
- BVV advises distillation of every solvent before use.
- Ships UPS Ground only under FAA rules. Combined with other items, the entire shipment moves Ground or freight.
- Not shipped to Hawaii, Puerto Rico or any US territory outside the contiguous 48. Alaska is freight only, routed through Canada.
- California restricts retail supply of butane above 150 mL. Permitted channels include licensed volatile-solvent extraction operators under CA Bus & Prof Code Division 10. Medical collectives under CA Health & Safety Code 11362.775 and resellers are also permitted.