| HS Code | 797754 |
| Chemical Name | Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether |
| Cas Number | 109-86-4 |
| Molecular Formula | C3H8O2 |
| Molecular Weight | 76.09 g/mol |
| Appearance | Clear colorless liquid |
| Purity Assay | >=99.9% (EL Grade) |
| Water Content | <=0.1% |
| Boiling Point | 124-125 °C (at 760 mmHg) |
| Melting Point | -85 °C |
| Flash Point | 39 °C (closed cup) |
| Specific Gravity | 0.964-0.966 (at 20/20 °C) |
| Refractive Index | 1.401-1.403 (at 20 °C) |
| Solubility | Soluble in water, alcohols, ethers, and most organic solvents |
As an accredited Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Supplied packaged in 1L, 4L, 20L, or 200L quantities; nitrogen-blanketed fluorinated drums ensure electronic/EL grade stability. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Load 20′ FCL of Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade in sealed drums/IBCs, securely dunnaged with hazardous material labels and placards. |
| Shipping | Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade ships as a hazardous flammable/toxic liquid. Use UN-approved containers, proper labeling, and ground or cargo-air restrictions. Keep away from ignition sources, heat, and incompatible oxidizers. Ensure secondary containment, ventilation, and documentation per IATA/IMDG/49 CFR regulations for safe transport. |
| Storage | Store Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade in a clean, tightly sealed container, in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat, sparks, and direct sunlight. Keep separate from strong oxidizers and acids. Protect from moisture and contamination to preserve high purity. Follow label instructions and use appropriate chemical storage practices. |
| Shelf Life | Store tightly sealed, away from light and moisture. Shelf life is typically 12 months from date of manufacture. |
In 300 mm lithography track equipment, methyl cellosolve EL grade is used as a blend component in positive photoresist thinning and wafer edge bead removal. The solvent is blended with PGMEA or ethyl lactate at 15–40 wt% and filtered through 0.05 μm PTFE point-of-use membranes. EBR nozzle dispense rates are fixed at 0.3–1.0 mL/s while wafer spin speeds ramp from 1000–2500 rpm; the dispense removes a resist bead width of 0.5–1.5 mm from the substrate edge. Blend viscosity is held from 1.2–2.5 cSt at 25 °C. Electronic-grade chloride is maintained below 50 ppb, sodium and potassium below 5 ppb each, and water below 0.05 wt% by ASTM E203-21; particle counts after filtration are below 50 particles/mL at ≥0.2 μm. Incoming control windows are consolidated in the table below.
| Parameter | Control window | Test method |
|---|---|---|
| Water | <0.05 wt% | ASTM E203-21 |
| Chloride | <50 ppb | ASTM D512-23 |
| Sulfate | <100 ppb | Ion chromatography |
| Sodium | <5 ppb | ICP-MS |
| Potassium | <5 ppb | ICP-MS |
| Total metal cations | <20 ppb | ICP-MS |
| Particles ≥0.2 μm | <50 particles/mL | Laser particle counter |
| Nonvolatile residue | <10 ppm | ASTM D1353-13 |
Nozzle drift, bath temperature excursion, or batch-to-batch water variation above 0.05 wt% changes fluid viscosity and causes edge bead splitting or resist redeposition on exposure chucks. Storage under dry nitrogen with headspace oxygen below 2 vol% limits peroxide build-up to <5 ppm. The terminal photolithography layer is used in logic and memory gate patterning. Methyl cellosolve EL grade is not the primary thinning solvent for EUV photoresists; those systems use separate vehicle packages because of outgassing and acid diffusion requirements.
Display glass pre-clean formulations containing methyl cellosolve EL grade are operated in ultrasonic and megasonic immersion tools at 35–45 °C. Typical blend ratios run 5–25 vol% methyl cellosolve in ultrapure water with isopropanol at 10–30 vol%. The low surface tension reduces dynamic contact angle on Corning Eagle XG and AGC AN100 substrates to below 12°, allowing particle removal from 0.1 μm features before indium tin oxide sputtering. Metal cation limits are held at <1 ppb for sodium and potassium, chloride at <50 ppb, and nonvolatile residue below 10 ppm by gravimetric methods. After cleaning, substrates are rinsed with hot ultrapure water at 18.2 MΩ·cm and dried with filtered nitrogen. Terminal products include LTPS backplanes for OLED panels and crystalline silicon TFT arrays. Operational boundaries include the hygroscopic nature of the solvent; open-bath storage beyond 8 h can raise water content above 0.1 wt% and shift the cleaning window. Closed-loop bath circulation with Karl Fischer monitoring per ASTM E203-21 is required. The reproductive toxicity classification of the substance under CLP category 1B mandates local exhaust ventilation and skin-contact control at all process equipment.
Aluminum electrolytic capacitor separator impregnation uses methyl cellosolve EL grade as a secondary solvent at 5–20 wt% in ethylene glycol-based electrolytes. The ether alcohol lowers electrolyte viscosity and suppresses crystallization at low-temperature storage down to −40 °C. Capacitor-grade formulations specify water content below 0.1 wt%, chloride below 1 ppm, sulfate below 5 ppm, and total metal cations below 5 ppm before ammonium adipate or ammonium borate salts are dissolved. Impregnation is performed in vacuum chambers at 60–80 °C with absolute pressure from 1–10 kPa, followed by aging at rated voltage and leakage-current stabilization. The finished wound elements are sealed in aluminum cans with ethylene-propylene rubber bungs. Terminal products include low-ESR capacitors for switch-mode power supplies and LED drivers qualified to IEC 60384-4. Because the flash point of methyl cellosolve is 39 °C, mixing and filling lines require nitrogen blanketing and explosion-proof motors. Published data for exact viscosity-reduction gradients in low-water electrolytes is limited and is normally established on a per-formulation basis using cone-and-plate rheometry.
Rosin-based flux residues from lead-free reflow are removed in closed-loop spray defluxing equipment in which methyl cellosolve EL grade is blended with isopropanol and branched hydrocarbons at 20–35 vol%. Spray pressure ranges from 0.3–0.5 MPa at fluid temperature 40–60 °C, and the low kinematic viscosity and small molecular volume allow penetration beneath 0.4 mm pitch QFN packages and 0201 chip components. Ionic cleanliness is verified by IPC-TM-650 2.3.25 with an acceptance threshold of <1.56 μg NaCl eq/cm². The electronic-grade solvent is specified to contain chloride below 50 ppb, sulfate below 100 ppb, and nonvolatile residue below 10 ppm, minimizing dendrite formation on biased copper traces in automotive electronic control units. Process control includes continuous distillation of the solvent blend to separate flux acids and rosin esters. Terminal products are conformally coated engine-control boards and transmission controllers. Forced-air drying at 60 °C after defluxing removes retained solvent from low-standoff components. The fluid is not used on bare aluminum wire-bond pads without compatibility testing because glycol ethers can promote surface etching under high-humidity aging.
Thick-film silver paste vehicles add methyl cellosolve EL grade at 2–8 wt% of total vehicle mass, combined with terpineol, dibutyl phthalate, and ethyl cellulose resin. The solvent is classed as delayed-latent in this use because its vapor pressure of ~6 mmHg at 20 °C produces slower viscosity drift during screen printing than acetone or methyl ethyl ketone. Pastes are processed on three-roll mills to a fineness of grind below 10 μm, then printed through 200–325 mesh stainless steel screens onto 96% alumina substrates. Drying at 120–150 °C for 10–15 min removes the solvent before firing at 850 °C. Chloride and sulfur in the EL-grade solvent are held below 5 ppm each, total metal cations below 10 ppm, and water below 0.05 wt% to avoid silver flake passivation and screen clogging. Terminal products include chip resistors, ceramic heater patterns, and hybrid microcircuits qualified to MIL-PRF-55342 or equivalent. Bulk paste viscosity is controlled from 150–250 Pa·s at 10 s⁻¹; when printed paste sits open for more than 8 h at 25 °C and 50% RH, viscosity increases due to moisture uptake, and paste is reworked only after spiking with fresh EL-grade solvent.
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Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade is the high-purity designation for 2-methoxyethanol, also identified as ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, CAS 109-86-4, EC 203-713-7. The material is a polar glycol monoether with molecular weight 76.09 g/mol, boiling point 124.1 °C at 101.3 kPa, density 0.965 g/cm³ at 20 °C by ASTM D4052, closed-cup flash point 39 °C, freezing point −85 °C, vapor pressure 6.2 mmHg at 20 °C, dynamic viscosity 1.72 mPa·s at 20 °C, surface tension 31.8 mN/m at 20 °C, refractive index 1.4024, autoignition temperature 285 °C, and lower and upper flammability limits of 1.5 vol% and 20 vol% in air. The Electronic/EL designation is not a separate molecular entity but a purification, filtration, and packaging specification applied to the same solvent for metal-ion-sensitive cleaning, photoresist stripping, and precision surface preparation. Regional product codes differ by packaging volume and filling site; certificates of analysis identify the Electronic/EL grade together with lot number, fill date, and per-element impurity values.
Relevant performance restrictions follow from the solvent profile. Because the flash point is 39 °C, open-bath operation above 35 °C is generally excluded unless the tool is rated for flammable vapor service. The solvent is hygroscopic, and humid cleanroom storage above 60 % relative humidity can increase water content in open containers. Packaging is therefore flushed with dry nitrogen at a dew point below −40 °C before closure. In electronics use, metallic impurity control is the primary technical discriminator: sodium, potassium, calcium, aluminum, iron, copper, and zinc are specified at or below 10 ppb per element, and particles at ≥0.5 µm are limited to ≤20 counts/mL.
The distinction is analytically visible. Reagent-grade material can meet assay and water limits while remaining unsuitable for transistor-level cleaning because trace-metal limits are either absent or set at 100–500 ppb for common elements. Electronic/EL grade is released against a certificate that commonly includes gas chromatographic assay ≥99.9 %, water ≤0.05 % by ASTM E203, acidity as acetic acid ≤0.005 % by ASTM D1613, chloride ≤1 ppm by ion chromatography, nonvolatile residue ≤10 ppm by ASTM D1353, color ≤10 Pt-Co by ASTM D1209, and element-specific metals ≤10 ppb by dynamic reaction cell ICP-MS. Technical-grade lots are usually not certified for particle counts, chloride, or per-element metals.
| Property | Test method | Electronic/EL representative limit | Technical-grade observed range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assay as 2-methoxyethanol | Gas chromatography area % | ≥99.9 % | 99.0–99.7 % |
| Water | ASTM E203 | ≤0.05 % | 0.10–0.25 % |
| Acidity as acetic acid | ASTM D1613 | ≤0.005 % | ≤0.02 % |
| Nonvolatile residue | ASTM D1353 | ≤10 ppm | ≤50 ppm |
| Chloride | Ion chromatography | ≤1 ppm | 5–10 ppm |
| Per-element metals Na, K, Al, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn | DRC-ICP-MS | ≤10 ppb each | 100–500 ppb |
| Particles ≥0.5 µm | Laser light-scattering particle counter | ≤20 counts/mL | Not specified |
| Color, Pt-Co scale | ASTM D1209 | ≤10 | ≤15 |
Filling is performed on cleanroom lines with wetted surfaces restricted to PVDF, high-density polyethylene, perfluoroelastomer gaskets, and 316L stainless steel. Recirculation typically passes through 0.45 µm and 0.1 µm polypropylene or PTFE cartridges before final package filling. Online particle counters on the inlet line activate automatic divert when ≥0.5 µm counts exceed 20 counts/mL for more than 5 min; valve dead-legs and filter-change transients are investigated before lot acceptance. Packaging volumes range from 1 L to 200 L, and headspace purge gas is specified at a dew point below −40 °C to prevent atmospheric moisture uptake.
Metal testing does not rely solely on total heavy-metal precipitation. Each lot is sampled after 24 h settled storage, matrix-matched, and analyzed by DRC-ICP-MS with reporting limits below 5 ppb for the specified elements. A lot is released only when individual metal values meet the limit; averaging of metal data across elements is not permitted. That restriction is more demanding than reagent-grade practice, where trace-metal content may be estimated by nonspecific precipitation rather than element-specific quantitation.
Cleaning tools for the Electronic/EL grade are configured as 40 kHz ultrasonic immersion baths or high-pressure spray-in-air modules. Bath temperature is usually held between 20 °C and 30 °C; non-explosion-proof enclosures do not exceed 35 °C because of the 39 °C closed-cup flash point. Soak time is residue-dependent: 60–120 s for fluoropolymer-encased tool parts and 5–20 min for heavily cross-linked positive-tone photoresist films. The solvent is effective on partially esterified rosin and novolak residues through combined methoxy and terminal hydroxyl interactions. Published kinetic data specific to the electronic-grade impurity level are limited; cleaning performance is therefore controlled by contact-angle shift, optical residue count, or FTIR confirmation rather than by solvent composition alone.
In photoresist stripping, Methyl Cellosolve Electronic/EL Grade is used as a polar coupling agent in formulations containing N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or dimethyl sulfoxide and controlled amounts of amine or quaternary ammonium hydroxide. The glycol ether maintains single-phase bath stability and reduces electrical double-layer disturbance associated with surplus alkaline stripper components. Bath life is governed by accumulated resin loading and metallic extraction. At resin solids above 15 % by mass, pinhole bridging and redeposition risk increase; production baths are recirculated through 0.2 µm filters and sampled for metal content at shift change. Chloride is controlled at ≤1 ppm to limit time-dependent oxide breakdown risk in high-k metal-gate cleaning. Published data for this specific application configuration are limited, so tool requalification is executed with structured clearance tests rather than extended inference from vendor specification sheets.
Edge-bead removal and backside rinse stages use the solvent as a short-chain polar rinse after developer. Its volatility is higher than that of Butyl Cellosolve, reducing drying load on spin-station exhaust. Surface tension of 31.8 mN/m can create fluid retention in submicrometer trenches, so air-knife drying must be balanced against capillary hold-up. Acceptability tests include optical particle counts on a 0.3 µm channel and nonvolatile residue coupons after 100 % bulk evaporation under filtered nitrogen.
Solvent recovery for noncritical reuse is performed by batch distillation with narrow cut points. Recovered material is reconditioned through desiccant beds and 0.2 µm filters, then rechecked by ASTM E203 and ICP-MS before downgrade into noncritical cleaning loops. Heavy fractions with elevated viscosity are discarded rather than blended back into high-purity stock. Waste streams containing halogenated strippers are segregated because methyl Cellosolve is incompatible with strong oxidizers and acid anhydrides in closed unvented systems.
The principal substitution candidates are propylene glycol methyl ether, ethyl Cellosolve, and butyl Cellosolve. Methyl Cellosolve has a primary hydroxyl group on the ethylene chain, giving higher hydrogen-bonding capacity than propylene glycol methyl ether, which has a secondary alcohol. This accounts for greater solvency toward novolak and rosin residues but also greater penetration into some elastomeric seals. Ethyl Cellosolve has a higher boiling point and lower vapor pressure, reducing evaporative loss while extending drying time. Butyl Cellosolve has a higher boiling range and contributes more residue in sub-100 nm device structures. The toxicological status also differs: Methyl Cellosolve is classified as reproductive toxicant 1B under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, whereas propylene glycol methyl ether does not carry the same reproductive classification.
| Parameter | Methyl Cellosolve | Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether | Ethyl Cellosolve | Butyl Cellosolve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether | Propylene glycol monomethyl ether | Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether | Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether |
| CAS number | 109-86-4 | 107-98-2 | 110-80-5 | 111-76-2 |
| Molecular weight | 76.09 g/mol | 90.12 g/mol | 90.12 g/mol | 118.17 g/mol |
| Boiling point at 101.3 kPa | 124.1 °C | 120 °C | 135 °C | 171 °C |
| Closed-cup flash point | 39 °C | 32 °C | 43 °C | 61 °C |
| Surface tension at 20 °C | 31.8 mN/m | 27.7 mN/m | 28.2 mN/m | 27.4 mN/m |
| Water solubility | Complete | Complete | Complete | Complete |
| CLP regulatory classification | Repr. 1B | Not classified as reproductive toxicant | Repr. 1B | Acute tox. 4 |
The electronic-grade form of Methyl Cellosolve differs from PGME in solvency toward cellulosic and novolak binders because the methoxy group is attached to the ethylene chain, while PGME carries a methyl substituent on the propylene backbone. That structural difference reduces the metabolic conversion pathway of PGME to methoxyacetic acid, which is a primary toxicological concern for methyl Cellosolve. Substitution in existing equipment is therefore not automatically drop-in: lower flash point, higher polarity, and different elastomer compatibility require revalidation of seals, bath temperature, exhaust classification, and residue limits. Published data for this specific configuration are limited where legacy formulations contain mixed amines and high-boiling co-solvents.
Operational boundaries include closed-loop handling and local exhaust ventilation due to reproductive toxicant classification. The solvent is hygroscopic and must not be stored in open top-up tanks at cleanroom humidity above 60 % relative humidity. Contact with aluminum fines in heated stripper baths can form alkoxyaluminum species; aluminum coupons are passivated before production use. Packaging is not suitable for extended storage above 40 °C or direct sunlight. If a customer specification requires values below the standard certificate detection limit, supplier validation is performed with spiked standards at the lower reporting limit; published multi-site data for this specific configuration remain limited.
