Butanol is a higher alcohol with a 4 carbon atoms and a general formula of C4H10O. There are 4 different isomeric structures for butanol:
butan-1-ol CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-OH
butan-2-ol CH3-CH2-CH(OH)-CH3
sec-butanol CH3-CH-CH3
|
CH2OH
OH
|
tert-butanol CH3-C-CH3
|
CH3
These butanol isomers, due to their different structures, have somewhat different melting and boiling points. All are moderately miscible in water and used as a base for perfumes. Like most alcohols, they are poisonous.