Isopropyl Alcohol in Chinese: Correct Names, Aliases & Terminology for Global Sourcing
In Chinese regulatory and trade documentation, isopropyl alcohol is canonically rendered as 异丙醇 (yì bǐng chún), and this single term functions as the default commercial, customs, safety-data-sheet, and supplier-listing descriptor. The systematic Chinese name 2-丙醇 (èr bǐng chún) appears in IUPAC-aligned monographs and pharmacopeial texts, while the older alias 二甲基甲醇 (èr jiǎ jī jiǎ chún) survives in legacy analytical literature and should not be relied on for electronic customs filing unless cross-referenced to CAS 67-63-0. The substance is propan-2-ol, molecular formula C3H8O, molar mass 60.10 g/mol, boiling point 82.45 °C at 101.3 kPa, flash point 11.7 °C closed cup, lower explosion limit 2.0 vol%, upper explosion limit 12.7 vol%, vapor pressure 4.4 kPa at 20 °C, density 0.7855 g/cm³ at 20 °C, dynamic viscosity 2.43 mPa·s at 20 °C, refractive index 1.3776 at 20 °C, and autoignition temperature 399 °C. In Chinese customs nomenclature, isopropanol is properly classified under HS code 2905122000; propan-1-ol is separately classified under HS code 2905121000, and confusion between the two has caused documented batch rejections because the boiling point of n-propanol is 97.2 °C, far outside the 81.5–83.0 °C boiling range expected for isopropanol. For procurement purposes, the purchase order and import declaration should name the product as 异丙醇 (2-丙醇; isopropanol; propan-2-ol), CAS 67-63-0, UN 1219, Class 3, Packing Group II, EC 200-661-7, HS 2905122000. Use of the bare term “丙醇” or the English acronym “IPA” alone is insufficient in Chinese regulatory data systems, because “丙醇” also denotes the broader propanol class and “IPA” is not a recognized stand-alone identifier in the Chinese dangerous goods declaration workflow.
Chinese supplier databases and B2B portals index isopropanol under simplified characters 异丙醇 and, in Taiwan and Hong Kong documentation, under Traditional Chinese 異丙醇. The pinyin field for logistics data is yì bǐng chún; occasional transliteration errors appear as yibingchun or yibingchung in free-text vendor records, and these variants should be normalized to CAS 67-63-0 before downstream systems generate SDS and lot traceability records. The term 二甲基甲醇 is structurally descriptive of dimethyl carbinol, but it lacks the automated mapping strength of 异丙醇 in mainland China customs interfaces; for Taiwanese or Hong Kong shipments, the Traditional 異丙醇 may be used, but the CAS number remains the only reliable machine-readable invariant. In pharmaceutical and analytical reagent procurement, Chinese manufacturers and distributors use 异丙醇 分析纯, 异丙醇 优级纯, 异丙醇 色谱纯, 无水异丙醇, and 电子级异丙醇 as grade-specific search keys. A buyer searching only the English term “isopropanol” in a Chinese sourcing platform may retrieve only a fraction of available suppliers, because many domestic producers list 异丙醇 工业级 or 无水异丙醇 without including the English synonym in the product title. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 uses 异丙醇 for the isopropyl alcohol monograph; the United States Pharmacopeia National Formulary uses “Isopropyl Alcohol” and sets assay not less than 99.0% of C3H8O. The ICH Q3C residual solvent guidance lists isopropanol as a Class 3 solvent with a permitted daily exposure of 50 mg/day, which makes the Chinese monograph name 异丙醇 the link between analytical release data and regulatory limits for pharmaceutical synthesis in China and export markets.
What Triggers a Chinese Customs Flag When 丙醇 Appears Without a Locator?
Chinese regulatory databases store substances using CAS registry numbers as primary keys; the Chinese common name 异丙醇 is mapped to CAS 67-63-0, whereas the systematic name 2-丙醇 is equivalent to propan-2-ol and is the preferred term under IUPAC rules. Chinese customs interfaces that compare the declared name against the HS description may flag 2-丙醇 as requiring additional clarification because the HS nomenclature uses the English descriptor “propan-2-ol (isopropyl alcohol).” The legacy alias 二甲基甲醇 is chemically accurate under a carbinol nomenclature interpretation; however, it is not commonly recognized in the Chinese Hazardous Chemical Catalogue (危险化学品目录, 2015 edition) electronic declaration systems unless the CAS number is present. The Chinese Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances includes propan-2-ol with CAS 67-63-0; thus importers and exporters do not require a new chemical notification under China REACH when the declared substance is chemically pure isopropanol. The dangerous goods listing under GB 12268-2012 assigns UN 1219, Class 3, Packing Group II to isopropanol; the Chinese SDS under GB/T 16483-2008 must follow the 16-section format, with Section 1 identifying both 异丙醇 and CAS 67-63-0, and Section 14 listing UN 1219, Class 3, PG II. The EU CLP Regulation EC 1272/2008 harmonised entry for propan-2-ol is index 603-117-00-0 with Flam. Liq. 2, Eye Irrit. 2, STOT SE 3 and hazard statements H225, H319, H336; Chinese GHS under GB 30000.7-2013 for flammable liquids and the GB 30000 series for eye irritation and specific target organ toxicity yields the same hazard categories and pictograms GHS02 and GHS07. In practice, a Chinese supplier may provide an SDS that uses 异丙醇 in Section 1 and “IPA” in Section 3; this is acceptable only if the CAS number is present in Section 3.1 and the transport description in Section 14 is not shortened to “IPA” alone.
Substitution risk arises from the fact that Chinese domestic sales documents sometimes abbreviate 异丙醇 to 丙醇 in handwritten or preprinted internal batch records, while n-propanol is 正丙醇, CAS 71-23-8, boiling point 97.2 °C, HS 2905121000. A shipment declared as 丙醇, CAS 67-63-0 may be acceptable for customs, but a shipment declared as 丙醇 without CAS and with an HS code 2905121000 is likely n-propanol. For analytical verification, a GC method using a 30 m × 0.32 mm × 1.8 µm polyethylene glycol capillary column, split injection 50:1, injector 250 °C, detector 280 °C, and oven program from 40 °C to 220 °C at 10 °C/min will separate isopropanol, n-propanol, acetone, and diisopropyl ether. The retention-time gap between isopropanol and n-propanol under these conditions is sufficient to reject lots where n-propanol exceeds 0.1% by area. The same chromatographic data can detect acetone at levels above 0.05% as evidence of incomplete hydrogenation in acetone-hydrogenation production routes. Chinese supplier databases may also use the term 异丙醇 for hydrous products, anhydrous material, and even recycled solvent; the purchase specification must therefore state the intended application and not rely on the product title alone.
| Chinese term | Pinyin | English/IUPAC | CAS/HS/UN | Documentary scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 异丙醇 / 異丙醇 | yì bǐng chún | isopropyl alcohol, isopropanol, propan-2-ol | 67-63-0; 2905122000; 1219 | Customs, SDS, Chinese label, contract |
| 2-丙醇 | èr bǐng chún | propan-2-ol, 2-propanol | 67-63-0 | Pharmacopeial, IUPAC, regulatory |
| 二甲基甲醇 | èr jiǎ jī jiǎ chún | dimethyl carbinol, isopropyl alcohol | 67-63-0 | Legacy analytical alias |
| 正丙醇 | zhèng bǐng chún | propan-1-ol, n-propanol | 71-23-8; 2905121000 | Rejection-risk isomer |
When the Supplier Lists “丙醇” Without a Locator or CAS Number
When the supplier lists “丙醇” without a locator or CAS number, the proforma invoice should be returned for correction before cargo release. The Chinese prefix 正 refers to straight-chain propan-1-ol, while 异 refers to branched propan-2-ol; a missing prefix is not a harmless shorthand in the customs declaration workflow because the 6-digit HS heading 2905.12 covers both isomers but the 10-digit Chinese statistical subheadings 2905121000 and 2905122000 impose different duty and inspection profiles. In quality clause drafting, specify “异丙醇 (2-丙醇; Isopropanol), CAS No. 67-63-0, HS Code 2905122000, UN No. 1219, Packing Group II.” In the event that the supplier’s COA uses 二甲基甲醇, the acceptable response is not automatic rejection but cross-checking that the listed CAS number is 67-63-0 and that the GC purity, water content, boiling range, and density align with anhydrous isopropanol; yet, purchase contracts should still require the regulatory name 异丙醇 on all commercial and transport documents. The Chinese phrase “无水异丙醇” denotes anhydrous grade, but no uniform Chinese national standard fixes a single water limit for all anhydrous products; supplier declarations of “无水” should be accompanied by a Karl Fischer moisture value, typically not more than 0.05% for most anhydrous commercial grades and not more than 50 ppm for certain electronic grades. In fixed-bed dehydration units, molecular sieve 3A is used after azeotropic distillation; the azeotrope of isopropanol and water at 87.7 wt% isopropanol boils at 80.37 °C, so conventional distillation cannot produce anhydrous isopropanol without an entrainer, pressure-swing adsorption, or membrane separation step. A supplier that claims anhydrous IPA from a simple distillation tower should be audited for the presence of a dehydration column or molecular sieve polishing unit.
Chinese grade terms such as 工业级, 化学纯, 分析纯, 优级纯, 色谱纯, 药用级, and 电子级 are not harmonized across all suppliers; the same term may be used with different impurity ceilings depending on the production route and target market. Industrial grade under GB/T 7814-2008 typically sets isopropanol mass fraction not less than 99.5% for qualified grade and 99.7% for high-grade product, water not more than 0.20%, acidity as acetic acid not more than 0.002%, evaporation residue not more than 0.002%, and color not more than 10 Pt-Co. Analytical reagent grade in China may be specified by supplier-specific COA rather than a universal GB reagent monographic standard for isopropanol; buyers should require the COA to state the test method, not just the grade name. Pharmaceutical grade should reference the ChP 2020 monograph and USP-NF Isopropyl Alcohol monograph where applicable; the USP assay is not less than 99.0% C3H8O, but water and non-volatile residue limits are controlled by the general monograph and supplier specification. Electronic-grade isopropanol for semiconductor wafer processing is generally controlled by fab-specific or supplier-specific specifications for trace cation content, chloride, water, and non-volatile residue; published national standards for semiconductor-grade isopropanol are limited, so contract limits must state the analytical method and reporting unit for each metal. A procurement specification that only demands “电子级” without outlining a metal-ion budget is insufficient when the end-use involves post-etch cleaning or drying on lines with feature sizes below 28 nm.
Industrial Monograph Limits Versus Pharmacopeial and Fab-Specific Release Criteria
Grade selection using GB/T 7814-2008 as the sole release criterion is generally inadequate for pharmaceutical and semiconductor applications because the industrial standard prioritizes transport and general solvent use, while pharmacopeial and electronic specifications impose additional tests for trace organic impurities, anions, metals, and non-volatile residue. For pharmaceutical processing, ICH Q3C isopropanol is Class 3 with PDE 50 mg/day; the analytical target should be total isopropanol plus specified impurities rather than a single GC area percent. USP-NF Isopropyl Alcohol requires not less than 99.0% C3H8O and imposes limits on non-volatile residue, acidity, and water; the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 异丙醇 monograph likewise controls relative density, refractive index, acidity, and related substances. A Chinese CoA that reports 异丙醇 99.9% by gas chromatography as area normalization excluding water can conceal 0.15% moisture; the anhydrous mass fraction then becomes 99.75%. For electronic-grade use, water control is critical because water vapor can disrupt wafer drying and leave residues after spin drying; typical anhydrous IPA grades may specify water below 50 ppm, residue on evaporation below 5 ppm, chloride below 100 ppb, and individual metal ions below 1 ppb or 10 ppb depending on the technology node and cleaning chemistry. These limits are not addressed by the industrial grade, and buyers should not infer electronic suitability from a 99.9% GC purity value alone.
Controlling residual water requires attention to the dehydration process and transfer chain. Isopropanol is hygroscopic; an open stainless-steel tote at 25 °C and 70% relative humidity can absorb enough water over 24 h to raise moisture by 0.05% to 0.15%, depending on headspace exchange rate and initial water content. On coastal transloading terminals in Guangdong, Shanghai, or Ningbo, the combination of high relative humidity and warm liquid can cause visible condensation on manway surfaces if dry nitrogen purging is omitted; an ISO tank or IBC equipped with a nitrogen blanket at 5–10 kPa and a dew-point transmitter downstream of the dryer with a setpoint no wetter than -40 °C prevents moisture ingress during unloading. Transfer hoses should be PTFE-lined stainless steel or 316L stainless steel braided hose, and the receiving drum should be pre-dried at 105 °C or purged with dry nitrogen before filling. Moisture measurements by coulometric Karl Fischer titration have a limit of quantification near 10 ppm; for levels below 10 ppm, an oven method with full vaporization of the sample into a dry nitrogen carrier is preferred to avoid side reactions and matrix interference. In semiconductor operations, water content is sometimes monitored on-site by NIR spectroscopy with a limit of detection near 50 ppm, but the buyer should require that the certificate of analysis reference the primary Karl Fischer method rather than a screening technique.
| Chinese grade term | Typical assay/impurity anchors | Standards or reference | Sourcing application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 工业级异丙醇 | purity ≥99.5–99.7%; water ≤0.20%; acidity ≤0.002% | GB/T 7814-2008 | General solvent, coatings, cleaning, chemical intermediate |
| 分析纯 / 色谱纯异丙醇 | GC purity ≥99.8%; controlled ultraviolet absorbance; low residue | Supplier COA; pharmacopeial general methods | Laboratory reagent, HPLC solvent, sample preparation |
| 药用级异丙醇 | assay ≥99.0% C3H8O; related substances and residue limits apply | ChP 2020; USP-NF; ICH Q3C | Pharmaceutical processing, equipment cleaning, extraction |
| 电子级异丙醇 | water 50 ppm; NVR 5 ppm; selected metals 1–10 ppb | Supplier/fab specification | Semiconductor cleaning, drying, edge-bead removal, lithography |
Managing Static Charge, Incompatibilities, and Moisture Pickup During Coastal China Transloading
Isopropanol is a flammable liquid with closed-cup flash point 11.7 °C and should be handled in grounded and bonded stainless steel or high-density polyethylene equipment; static discharge during drum filling can ignite the vapor-air mixture if the fill velocity exceeds recommended limits and no inert padding is present. Incompatibilities include strong oxidizers such as nitric acid above 40%, hydrogen peroxide above 30%, and perchlorates; contact may produce violent exothermic reactions, and storage bunding should separate isopropanol from oxidizing acids by at least one physical firewall or separate diked area. Isopropanol can dissolve some elastomers; EPDM, PTFE, and 316L stainless steel are generally suitable for transfer service, while natural rubber and some neoprene seals may swell or extract into the product, increasing non-volatile residue. In an anhydrous IPA process, a single failed PTFE envelope gasket on a diaphragm pump can introduce moisture; operators typically install dew-point meters on the nitrogen line and sample the first drum after every setup change for water and particle count. Field experience from Chinese solvent distribution terminals operating under 80–90% summer relative humidity shows that moisture pickup is less a supplier purity problem than a transfer-chain problem; the same tank that left the plant at 50 ppm water can arrive at the fab at 200 ppm if the receiving station does not use dry-break couplings and nitrogen blankets.
Transport documentation under GB 12268-2012 and the IMDG Code requires the proper shipping name “Isopropanol” or “Isopropyl alcohol,” Class 3, Packing Group II, UN 1219. The Chinese SDS under GB/T 16483-2008 should list in Section 9 the boiling point 82.45 °C, flash point 11.7 °C, relative density 0.7855 at 20 °C, vapor pressure 4.4 kPa at 20 °C, and explosion limits 2.0–12.7 vol%. A label under GB 15258-2009 should use the signal word “危险,” pictograms GHS02 and GHS07, and the hazard statements “高度易燃液体和蒸气,” “引起严重眼刺激,” and “可能引起昏昏欲睡或眩晕.” In Chinese B2B platforms, suppliers may use “MSDS” when the current Chinese regulatory term is “化学品安全技术说明书” (SDS); a buyer should not reject a supplier solely for using the older acronym but should require that the document follow the 16-section format of GB/T 16483-2008. For imports into the European Union, the REACH registration number for propan-2-ol should be available from the supplier or the only representative; the harmonised classification index 603-117-00-0 under CLP EC 1272/2008 is the reference for checking SDS consistency. For US shipments, the Food and Drug Administration permits isopropanol as a secondary direct food additive under 21 CFR 173.240 subject to good manufacturing practice and residual removal; pharmaceutical and food-contact buyers must still verify the monograph grade and supplier audit status rather than rely on the FDA section alone.
A GC Area Percent of 99.9% Does Not Equal an As-Is Isopropanol Mass Fraction of 99.9%
A frequent analytical ambiguity in Chinese certificates of analysis is the phrase 含量 99.9% without stating whether the value is GC area percent on an as-is basis, GC area percent on a water-free basis, or gravimetric mass fraction. Because water is not detected by FID, a GC area purity of 99.9% can coexist with a Karl Fischer water value of 0.20%, yielding a total isopropanol mass fraction of 99.70% if water is the only undetected impurity. The correct purchase order should define assay as “isopropanol mass fraction by GC, corrected for water by Karl Fischer, expressed as % w/w as-is.” For pharmaceutical use, residual solvent risk may be evaluated by headspace GC with flame ionization or mass selective detection, with method detection limits near 1–5 ppm for methanol, acetone, and n-propanol; the ICH Q3C Class 3 status of isopropanol does not remove the need to control solvents such as methanol under Class 2 limits if present as a manufacturing impurity. Non-volatile residue is a separate test: evaporate 50 mL of isopropanol in a preweighed platinum dish on a steam bath, dry at 105 °C for 30 min, cool in a desiccator, and weigh on a balance readable to 0.01 mg; electronic grades may specify non-volatile residue below 5 ppm, while general industrial grade may allow up to 20 ppm. Failure to specify non-volatile residue permits a supplier to supply solvent that passes GC purity but leaves residues in precision optics or semiconductor surfaces.
Trace metal verification for 电子级异丙醇 requires inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after sample concentration or direct injection using a PFA introduction system, because standard flame atomic absorption may not reach detection limits below 10 ppb. Analytes should include sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, chromium, nickel, and lead; some fabs add titanium, manganese, and arsenic. In a semiconductor wafer-cleaning line, a sodium level above 5 ppb in isopropanol can alter electrical characteristics of gate oxides; the same risk does not exist in industrial paint thinning, so buying electronic-grade IPA without metal limits undermines the rationale for paying the premium. Chinese suppliers of electronic-grade IPA typically use submicron filtration and high-purity distillation from dehydrated industrial feedstock; batch-to-batch variance in trace metals arises from the packaging container and the nitrogen source. For product intake, the receiving laboratory should run a blank of the same packaging lot to distinguish product contamination from sampling contamination; a cleanroom-compatible sample kit with PFA bottles, ultrapure water rinses, and Class 100 enclosures is normally required. If a buyer lacks this infrastructure, the alternative is to require the supplier’s COA from a qualified ISO/IEC 17025:2017 laboratory and periodically audit the supplier’s purification and packaging areas.
Chinese import and export declarations for isopropanol should include the Chinese name 异丙醇, English name isopropanol, CAS 67-63-0, UN 1219, Class 3, Packing Group II, HS code 2905122000, and net weight. Under China’s measures for the administration of import and export of dangerous chemicals, the import enterprise must provide a Chinese SDS and a dangerous goods packaging inspection certificate when applicable. The supplier’s 危险化学品经营许可证 and business license should be cross-checked, and the product label should carry the Chinese GHS signal word “危险.” For shipments into China, the existing chemical substance status under IECSC should be verified by the importer; CAS 67-63-0 is listed, so new chemical registration is not required, but the dangerous goods storage and transport requirements still apply. For export from China to EU member states, the REACH registration dossier for propan-2-ol should be confirmed, and the SDS Section 15 should cite the applicable Chinese and destination regulations; an SDS that lists only Chinese regulations may be rejected by downstream users in the destination market.
On Chinese chemical sourcing platforms, compound-specific search queries should include the Chinese term plus grade qualifiers, for example 异丙醇 99.9% 工业级, 异丙醇 分析纯, 无水异丙醇 含水量, 电子级异丙醇 金属离子, and 异丙醇 CAS 67-63-0. The Boolean operator AND is not consistently used on Chinese-language B2B platforms; a space-separated query defaults to AND in many engines. Searching “异丙醇” plus “MSDS” may retrieve supplier SDS pages but not necessarily COA data; the query “异丙醇 COA” plus CAS number narrows results to documented batches. In procurement negotiation, ask whether the reported purity is 质量分数 (mass fraction), 面积归一化 (area normalization), or 体积分数 (volume fraction); this single question can expose a supplier’s analytical understanding and prevent a specification mismatch. The phrase “电子级” is not standardized under a mandatory GB; request the supplier to name the specific numerical water, metal, and residue limits on the COA. A legitimate electronic-grade producer should be able to supply an ICP-MS or ICP-OES trace metals report for each packaged lot, and should not rely solely on a GC report.
At the Chinese supplier audit, the technical reviewer should inspect the production flow sheet for the final purification step. If the plant claims anhydrous IPA, the flow sheet should show extractive distillation with cyclohexane or diisopropyl ether, molecular sieve beds, or membrane pervaporation; if only a conventional distillation column is present, the delivered water content will not be below the azeotropic limit. For pharmaceutical or electronic grade, the packaging and transfer steps are as important as the reactor: a supplier that fills open drums from a shared pump used for toluene or acetone can cross-contaminate the isopropanol with aromatic residues, defeating a GC purity specification. The audit should log the pump identity, hose identity, filter housing, and nitrogen supply; any silicone gasket or lubricant can add residue. These operational boundaries are not visible on a certificate of analysis, which is why Chinese sourcing contracts for high-purity isopropanol should require a documented supply-chain and packaging audit, not merely a paper COA.
