trans-2-butene

Trans-2-butene is one of four isomeric compounds with the chemical formula C₄H₈, belonging to the olefinic hydrocarbon series. It is a gas at room temperature and pressure.1

Butenes are produced during the cracking of petroleum and can also be made commercially from butanes. They are primarily used to produce octanes for gasoline, either by reacting with isobutane or by dimerizing butenes to form octenes, which are then hydrogenated. Butenes can also be converted into butyl alcohols, used as solvents, or dehydrogenated to form butadiene, a key component in synthetic rubber production.1

Trans-2-butene is a stereoisomer, meaning it has the same chemical formula as other butenes but differs in the spatial arrangement of its atoms. Specifically, it is a trans isomer, where the hydrogen atoms attached to the double-bonded carbons are on opposite sides. This is in contrast to its cis isomer, where the hydrogen atoms are on the same side.23