What molecule am I?
Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), also called ethyl mesylate, is a simple, but hazardous, sulfonic acid ester. Its , reported by German organic chemist O. C. Billeter in 1905, was the reaction of methanesulfonic anhydride with ethyl alcohol.
As shown in the hazard information table, EMS is suspected of being mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic. In an early mutagenicity study (1965), Thomas Alderson at the University of Cambridge (UK) used EMS to (Drosophila spp.).
In 1984, Gary A. Sega at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (TN) published an extensive review of EMS鈥檚 genetic effects. And last year, in its 15th Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the US Department of Health and Human Services included a data sheet on the carcinogenicity of EMS. In addition, NTP also reported a of the compound.
Because of its extreme toxicity, EMS is produced only for research purposes. Its primary use is as a model alkylating agent in biochemical and medical research, specifically in .
Molecules from the journals
3-Chlorobiphenyl1 (3-CB) was synthesized in 1924 by Moses Gomberg* and Werner E. Bachmann at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) as part of a series of unsymmetrical biaryl molecules made by the . 3-CB was used in lubricants and hydraulic and heat-transfer fluids; its production and sale were discontinued in 1977.
3-CB, along with other chlorinated and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), is now considered an environmental pollutant. This year, Hans-Joachim Lehmler at the University of Iowa (Iowa City) and colleagues in the United States, China, and Sweden investigated the metabolism of 3-CB in a human liver cancer cell line and , including five that had been dechlorinated.
Astaxanthin2 is a symmetrical long-chain polyolefin with two ketone and two hydroxyl groups. It is a keto-carotenoid that is found in a wide range of animal and plant tissues. In 1938, Richard Kuhn*3 and N. A. S枚rensen at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and determined its structure. Astaxanthin is named after the lobster genus Astacus; it is released when lobsters are cooked and is responsible for their red coloration.
Astaxanthin is used as dietary supplement and food dye. According to Wentao Su and co-workers at Dalian Polytechnic University (China), this fat-soluble carotenoid 鈥渟hows excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, but its low biocompatibility and stability limit its application in the food industry.鈥� Accordingly, the researchers devised a that can be used for efficient inflammatory cell-targeting.
2,5-Dimethyltetrahydrofuran4 (2,5-DMTHF) is a saturated furan derivative that first appeared in the chemical literature in 1907 when Paul Sabatier*5 and A. Mailhe at the University of Toulouse (France) produced it by hydrogenating acetonylacetone (2,5-hexanedione) in the presence of metallic nickel.
Until recently, 2,5-DMTHF received little attention in the scientific world except for a few uses as a cosolvent in battery electrolytes and other electrochemical systems. But because of the safety and environmental disadvantages of traditional aprotic polar solvents, some researchers have begun to take notice. Last month, Weiran Yang, Jing Zheng, and co-workers at Nanchang University (China) reported that sustainable 2,5-DMTHF, manufactured from cellulose, is such as tetrahydrofuran and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran because of its higher boiling point, lower water solubility, lower vapor pressure, higher flash point, and better thermal and photochemical stability.
1. CAS Reg. No. 2051-61-8.
2. CAS Reg. No. 472-61-7.
3. Kuhn was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on carotenoids and vitamins. He was a Nazi collaborator and posthumously censured by the 中国365bet中文官网 of German Chemists.
4. CAS Reg. No. 1003-38-9.
5. Sabatier was awarded the 1912 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with famed chemist Victor Grignard.
Molecules from the Journals
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Ethyl methanesulfonate聽
fast facts
| CAS Reg. No. | 62-50-0 |
| SciFinder nomenclature | Methanesulfonic acid, ethyl ester |
| Empirical formula | C3H8O3S |
| Molar mass | 124.16 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colorless liquid |
| Boiling point | 213 掳C |
| Water solubility | Miscible; hydrolyzes |
Ethyl methanesulfonate聽hazard information
| Hazard class* | GHS code and hazard statement | |
|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity, oral, category 4 | H302鈥擧armful if swallowed聽 |  |
| Skin corrosion/irritation, category 2 | H315鈥擟auses skin irritation | |
| Skin sensitization, category 1 | H317鈥擬ay cause an allergic skin reaction | |
| Serious eye damage/eye irritation, category 2A | H319鈥擟auses serious eye irritation | |
| Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure, respiratory tract irritation, category 3 | H335鈥擬ay cause respiratory irritation | |
| Germ cell mutagenicity, category 1B | H340鈥擬ay cause genetic defects |  |
| Carcinogenicity, category 1B | H350鈥擬ay cause cancer | |
| Reproductive toxicity, category 2 | H361鈥擲uspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child | |
*Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.聽
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