Ethyl Formate CAS 109-94-4
Ethyl formate (also referred to as ethyl formic acid) is a low-viscosity, colorless liquid. It is approved as a food flavoring agent under GB2760-96 and is extensively employed in formulating flavor blends for rum, apricot, peach, pineapple, mixed fruit, and sherry. Naturally, it is found in Boronia dentigeroides, Florida orange juice, honey, brandy, strawberries, raspberries, onions, apples, pears, and rum. On an industrial scale, ethyl formate is synthesized via the esterification of ethanol with formic acid, using sulfuric acid as a catalyst, followed by dehydration and distillation with phosphorus pentoxide or anhydrous calcium chloride.
Chemical Properties
| Melting point | -80 °C (lit.) |
| Boiling point | 52-54 °C (lit.) |
| density | 0.921 g/mL at 20 °C (lit.) |
| vapor density | 2.5 (vs air) |
| vapor pressure | 15.16 psi ( 55 °C) |
| refractive index | n20/D 1.359(lit.) |
| FEMA | 2434 | ETHYL FORMATE |
| Fp | 7 °F |
| storage temp. | 2-8°C |
| solubility | Miscible with alcohol, benzene, and ether (Hawley, 1981) |
| form | Liquid |
| color | Clear |
| Odor | Characteristic; pleasant aromatic. |
| Odor Threshold | 2.7ppm |
| Odor Type | ethereal |
| biological source | synthetic |
| explosive limit | 0.16 |
| Water Solubility | 11 g/100 mL (18 ºC) |
| Thermal Conductivity | 0.16 W/(m·K) at 25 ℃ |
| Sensitive | Moisture Sensitive |
| JECFA Number | 26 |
| Merck | 143807 |
| BRN | 906769 |
| Henry's Law Constant | 0.097(x 10-3 atmm3/mol) at 5.00 °C, 0.13 at 10.00 °C, 0.17 at 15.00 °C, 0.23 at 20.00 °C, 0.29 at 25.00 °C (column stripping-UV, Kutsuna et al., 2005) |
| Dielectric constant | 8.4（6℃） |
| Exposure limits | TLV-TWA 100 ppm (～300 mg/m3) (ACGIH, MSHA, and OSHA); IDLH 8000 ppm (NIOSH). |
| Stability: | Stable. Extremely flammable. May form explosive mixtures with air. Note low flash point and wide explosive limits. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents, strong bases, strong acids, nitrates. |
| Major Application | agriculture |
| cleaning products | |
| cosmetics | |
| environmental | |
| flavors and fragrances | |
| food and beverages | |
| personal care | |
| Cosmetics Ingredients Functions | PERFUMING |
| InChI | 1S/C3H6O2/c1-2-5-3-4/h3H,2H2,1H3 |
| InChIKey | WBJINCZRORDGAQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| SMILES | CCOC=O |
| LogP | 1.504 at 25℃ |
| CAS DataBase Reference | 109-94-4(CAS DataBase Reference) |
| NIST Chemistry Reference | Formic acid, ethyl ester(109-94-4) |
| EPA Substance Registry System | Ethyl formate (109-94-4) |
Safety Information
| Hazard Codes | F,Xn |
| Risk Statements | 11-20/22-36/37 |
| Safety Statements | 9-16-24-26-33 |
| OEB | A |
| OEL | TWA: 100 ppm (300 mg/m3) |
| RIDADR | UN 1190 |
| WGK Germany | 1 |
| RTECS | LQ8400000 |
| Autoignition Temperature | 851 °F |
| TSCA | TSCA listed |
| HazardClass | 3 |
| PackingGroup | II |
| HS Code | 29151300 |
| Storage Class | 3 - Flammable liquids |
| Hazard Classifications | Acute Tox. 4 Inhalation |
| Acute Tox. 4 Oral | |
| Eye Irrit. 2 | |
| Flam. Liq. 2 | |
| STOT SE 3 | |
| Hazardous Substances Data | 109-94-4(Hazardous Substances Data) |
| Toxicity | LD50 orally in rats: 4.29 g/kg (Smyth) |
| IDLA | 1,500 ppm |
Product Application of CAS#109-94-4
As a solvent, ethyl formate is commonly applied to nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate systems. Additionally, it is a valuable intermediate in pharmaceutical manufacturing, particularly in the synthesis of the nucleobases uracil, cytosine, and thymine.
