Butyrolactone is principally a precursor to other chemicals. Reaction with methylamine gives NMP, and with ammonia gives pyrrolidone. It is also used as a solvent in lotions and some polymers.
2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxybutyric acid is an herbicide produced from butyrolactone.
Butyrolactone, with its wide liquid range, chemical stability, and high dielectric constant, is used in electrolytic capacitors as the organic solvent. It is frequently mixed with a small ratio of ethylene glycol, "9:1" being common, to vary internal resistivity.
It has been used as a solvent in various laboratory experiments, e.g., the preparation of methylammonium lead halide.
