2-Methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) is a chemical used in industrial coatings and as a chemical intermediate. Total European and USA production was 15000 tonnes in 2000. Its hydroxy groups give it some water solubility while the hydrocarbon portion of the molecule makes it compatible with oils, giving it surfactant and emulsion stabilizing properties, while its viscosity can be used to control the flow properties of industrial products including coatings, cleansers, solvents and hydraulic fluids.

In the laboratory it is a common precipitant and cryoprotectant

Cryoprotectant

A cryoprotectant is a substance that is used to protect biological tissue from freezing damage . Arctic and Antarctic insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles create cryoprotectants in their bodies to minimize freezing damage during cold winter periods. Insects most often use sugars or polyols as...

 in protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 crystallography

X-ray crystallography

X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal, in which a beam of X-rays strikes a crystal and causes the beam of light to spread into many specific directions. From the angles and intensities of these diffracted beams, a crystallographer can produce a...

.

2-Methyl-2,4-pentanediol exists as two enantiomers, 4R(-) and 4S(+). In the Protein Data Bank

Protein Data Bank

The Protein Data Bank is a repository for the 3-D structural data of large biological molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids....

, the 3-letter code "MPD" refers to the (S)-(-) enantiomer, while "MRD" is used to refer to the (R)-(+) version. Commercially sold products labeled "MPD" are often the racemate, also sold as and referred to as "hexylene glycol."