Higher aliphatic alcohols (C 6 –C 18 ) are produced in a number of important industrial processes using petroleum‐based raw materials, eg, the Ziegler, oxo, and aldol processes. By far the largest volume synthetic alcohol is 2‐ethylhexanol, C 8 H 18 O, used mainly in production of the poly(vinyl chloride) plasticizer bis(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, C 24 H 38 O 4 , commonly called dioctyl phthalate or DOP. Other, lower volume synthetic alcohol application areas include solvents and specialty esters.