What molecule am I?
March is MOTW Solvent Month! This is the second of four articles about key solvents鈥擡d.
Ethyl acetate is one of the simplest carboxylate esters. (Former Molecule of the Week methyl formate聽is the simplest.) The colorless liquid has a sweet, fruity odor that most people find pleasant.
As you might expect, ethyl acetate was first synthesized from ethanol and acetic acid. The reaction was the classic acid-catalyzed Fischer esterification, which dates back to 1895. This is still the most widely used commercial synthesis. An alternative method is the Tishchenko reaction in which acetaldehyde disproportionates in the presence of base to the alcohol and the acid that then esterify in situ.
Ethyl acetate is a widely used solvent, especially for paints, varnishes, lacquers, cleaning mixtures, and perfumes. Like last week鈥檚 MOTW, dichloromethane, it is used as a solvent for decaffeinating coffee beans. In the lab, ethyl acetate is a common solvent for column and thin-layer chromatography.
Ethyl acetate聽hazard information
| GHS classification*: Flammable liquids, category 2 | |
| H225鈥擧ighly flammable liquid and vapor |  |
| GHS classification: serious eye irritation, category 2A | |
| H319鈥擟auses serious eye irritation |  |
| GHS classification: specific target organ toxicity, single exposure, central nervous system, category 3 | |
| H336鈥擬ay cause drowsiness or dizziness | |
*Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.聽
Ethyl acetate聽fast facts
| CAS Reg. No. | 141-78-6 |
| Empirical formula | C4H8O2 |
| Molar mass | 88.11 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colorless liquid |
| Boiling point | 77 潞C |
| Water solubility | 83 g/L |
MOTW update
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) was the Molecule of the Week for September 17, 2018. DMT is a plant-based hallucinogen that is outlawed in most countries; but researchers are exploring its possible use as an antidepression drug. Now, David E. Olson at the University of California, Davis, and colleagues at several institutions report that 鈥渃hronic, intermittent, low doses of DMT 聽 and enhanced fear extinction learning without impacting working memory or social interaction鈥� in lab rats. Unfortunately, the rats also gained significant amounts of body weight. Their research continues.
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