[5] Isoamyl alcohol is an ingredient in the production of banana oil, an ester found in nature and also produced as a flavouring in industry.

[5] Isoamyl alcohol can be synthesized by condensation of isobutene and formaldehyde which produces isoprenol, then hydrogenation.

It is a colourless liquid of density 0.8247 g/cm3 (0 °C), boiling at 131.6 °C, slightly soluble in water, and easily dissolved in organic solvents.

[5] Besides its use in the synthesis of banana oil, isoamyl alcohol is also an ingredient of Kovac's reagent, used for the bacterial diagnostic indole test.

[7] Isoamyl alcohol is used in a phenol–chloroform extraction mixed with the chloroform to further inhibit RNase activity and prevent solubility of RNAs with long tracts of poly-adenine.