Tetrahydrofuran

A five-membered cyclic ether, commonly abbreviated THF.

Formula
C4H8O
Molar mass
72.11 g/mol
Also known as
oxolane, Furanidine, Furan, tetrahydro-, Tetramethylene oxide, Hydrofuran, Oxacyclopentane

Overview

A five-membered cyclic ether, commonly abbreviated THF.

One oxygen atom belongs to the saturated ring. It can donate a lone pair to a Lewis acid while lacking the O–H bond of an alcohol. Ring membership does not remove the oxygen functionality or make THF an aromatic heterocycle.

Identifiers

Formula
C4H8O
Molar mass
72.11 g/mol
Also known as
oxolane, Furanidine, Furan, tetrahydro-, Tetramethylene oxide, Hydrofuran, Oxacyclopentane
Chemical identifiers
SMILES
C1CCOC1
InChI
InChI=1S/C4H8O/c1-2-4-5-3-1/h1-4H2
PubChem CID
8028

Properties

Melting Point
-108.44 °C
Boiling Point
65 °C
Density
0.8833 g/cu cm at 25 °C
Water solubility
Miscible in water at 25 °C

Related compounds

  • Ethers

    Tetrahydrofuran is a specific member of the ethers family.

References

  1. PubChem Compound Summary: Tetrahydrofuran (CID 8028)National Center for Biotechnology Information · PubChem

    Identity, molecular formula, molecular weight and aliases retrieved via PUG REST on 2026-09-08.

  2. OpenStax Organic Chemistry: Names and properties of ethersJohn McMurry · OpenStax · 2023

    Supports the qualitative structure and reactivity context; identity and numerical measurements retain their original references.

  3. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Tetrahydrofuran — melting pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8028#section=Melting-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Lide, D.R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 88TH Edition 2007-2008. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL 2007, p. 3-474

  4. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Tetrahydrofuran — boiling pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8028#section=Boiling-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Lide, D.R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 88TH Edition 2007-2008. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL 2007, p. 3-474

  5. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Tetrahydrofuran — densityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8028#section=Density. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Lide, D.R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 88TH Edition 2007-2008. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL 2007, p. 3-474

  6. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Tetrahydrofuran — solubilityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8028#section=Solubility. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Riddick, J.A., W.B. Bunger, Sakano T.K. Techniques of Chemistry 4th ed., Volume II. Organic Solvents. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons., 1985., p. 309