A colorless liquid, it is classified as an alkynyl alcohol.

It arises from the condensation of acetylene and acetone.

The addition can be promoted with base[1] (Favorskii reaction) or with Lewis acid catalysts.

[2] 2-Methylbut-3-yn-2-ol is produced on an industrial scale as a precursor to terpenes and terpenoids.

For example, after arylation at carbon, the acetone can be removed with base:[4] In this regard, 2-methylbut-3-yn-2-ol is used similarly to trimethylsilylacetylene.