tert-Butyl methyl ether (methyl tert-butyl ether, MTBE) is a gasoline additive. Its oxidative degradation by propane-oxidizing bacterial strains has been tested. Kinetics of its heat-mediated biodegradation has been investigated under various reaction conditions. Its biodegradation followed a pseudo-first-order decay model and its pseudo-first-order rate constants were evaluated. Its extraction from water has been proposed by employing an organic polymeric compound, Nafion. MTBE can be synthesized by acid-catalyzed reaction between methanol and isobutene. A study suggests that the addition of MTBE increases the number of active sites during polymerization of propene by stopped-flow method. This solvent meets ACS (American Chemical Society) specifications and can be used for processes requiring strict quality conditions such as analytical testing.

tert-Butyl methyl ether (methyl tert-butyl ether, MTBE) may be used:

• As sole carbon and energy source in a mixed microbial consortium.
• To extract lipids from biological fluids for shotgun profiling.
• To synthesize fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and glycerol tert-butyl ether by transesterification of canola oil in the absence of catalyst under supercritical condition.