Maleic acid dibutyl ester is a clear, virtually colorless liquid with an ester-like odor. It is miscible with, for example, methanol, ethanol, acetone, diethylether, N, N-dimethyl formamide and toluene, immiscible with aliphatic hydrocarbons and slightly miscible with water. Maleic acid dibutyl ester contains about 1-5% fumaric acid dialkyl ester and 1-2% alkoxysuccinic acid dialkyl ester. Under the action of heat and in the presence of acids or bases, Maleic acid dibutyl ester transposes into fumaric acid dialkyl ester.

Maleic acid dibutyl ester (DBM) is a suitable intermediate for use in the production of paints and adhesives, copolymers and films. As co-monomer used with Vinyl acetate (VAM) in emulsion polymers (latexes) DBM leads to the following performance improvements:

• Lower the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the minimum film forming temperature (MFFT)
• Reduce the excessive hardness and brittleness of VAM homopolymers
• Improve flexibility of the final films
• Improve the hydrolytic stability
• To reduce the Tg of a VAM based latex to 7°C, about 25 % of DBM related to VAM is used. DBM can be a substitute for Acrylates Estes or VeoVa esters as co-monomers. Maleic acid dibutyl ester permits the addition reactions normally possible with compounds having olefinic double bonds and is suitable, for example, as a dienophile for diene syntheses using the Diels-Alder reaction. By hydrogenation or acetylation, valuable intermediates can be obtained, e.g. derivatives of succinic acid, which are employed in many different areas of organic synthesis.

  Information provided by Celanese Corporation.