Ethyl formate CAS 109-94-4

English name	Ethyl formate
Chinese name	甲酸乙酯
CAS	109-94-4
Molecular formula	C3H6O2
Molecular weight	74.08
EINECS	203-721-0
Melting point	-80 °C (lit.)
Boiling point	52-54 °C (lit.)
Bulk density	/
Density	0.921 g/mL at 20 °C (lit.)
Vapor density	2.5 (vs air)
Vapor pressure	15.16 psi ( 55 °C)
Storage conditions	2-8°C
Solubility	Soluble in alcohol, benzene and ether (Hawley, 1981)
Form	Liquid
Color	Transparent
Smell type	ethereal

Description

Ethyl formate is also known as ethyl oxalic acid. It is a colorless, low-viscosity liquid. According to GB2760—96, it is classified as an allowed edible flavoring. It is mainly used to prepare flavor essences for rum, apricots, peaches, pineapples, mixed fruits, and sherry. It is naturally present in Boroniadentigeroides, Florida orange juice, honey, brandy, strawberries, raspberries, onions, apples, pears, and rum. The synthetic method is to heat ethyl alcohol and formic acid under the presence of sulfuric acid for esterification, and then dehydrate and distill with phosphorus pentoxide or anhydrous calcium chloride to obtain it. In edible flavor essences, it is mainly used to prepare fruit-flavored types such as cherries, apricots, peaches, strawberries, apples, and pineapples. In wine flavor essences, it is often used to blend wine-flavored types such as old rum, sherry, brandy, whisky, and white grapes. It is used in medicines, foods, and cosmetics as an aromatic flavoring agent or fragrance agent. Ethyl formate is recognized by FEMA as GRAS, with the FEMA number 2434, and has been approved for consumption by the FDA. The European Council has also included it in the list of artificial edible flavor essences that can be used in food and are harmless to human health. Its ADI value is 5mg/kg. This product has irritancy and anesthesia effects on the eyes and respiratory tract. The oral LD50 of rats is 4290mg/kg. The maximum allowable concentration in the workplace is 100×10-6.

Toxicity

ADIO～3 (FAO/WHO, 1994). GRAS (FDA, §184.1295, 2000). LD50 1850mg/kg (rat, oral). According to relevant reports, the acute oral LD50 values of ethyl formate for rats and guinea pigs have three different test results, namely 4.29g/kg, 1.85g/kg and 1.11g/kg. 

Use limited FEMA (mg/kg)

Soft drinks 9.4; cold drinks 21; candies 50; baked goods 98; pudding types 0.35 - 11; gummy candies 430; alcoholic beverages 10. FDA (§184.1295, 2000). Baked goods 0.05%, candies and gummy candies 0.04%; cold drinks and dairy sweet foods 0.02%; gelatin, pudding, beverage foods 0.03%, other foods 0.01%.

Purpose

Used as a solvent for nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate, and in medicine as an intermediate for uracil, cytosine and thymine.

It is used as a standard substance for chromatographic analysis, a solvent and a bactericide, and also for the preparation of fragrances, as a substitute for acetone.

Occasionally, it is used to modify floral scents in daily chemical fragrance, and is mainly used for fruit scents such as cherry, apricot, peach, strawberry, raspberry, apple, pineapple, banana, plum, grape, etc. In the field of wine, it is often used in types such as rum, brandy, whisky and white grapes.

Ethyl formate is used as a solvent for nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate, and as a bactericide, larvicide and fumigant for food, cigarettes, grains, dried fruits, etc. It can also be used as a fragrance in perfumes to blend scents such as peach, banana, apple, apricot, pineapple, berry, etc., and can also be used as a flavoring agent for butter, brandy, sweet wine, whisky, etc. Ethyl formate is also an intermediate in organic synthesis. For example, in the chemical industry of pharmaceuticals, it is used in the production of anti-tumor drugs such as fluorocytidine and vitamin B1; ethyl formate and acetone can be condensed in a methanol-sodium-xylenes solution to obtain sodium acetoxyvinyl alcohol, and when combined with acetylglycine ester and then cyclized with potassium thiocyanate, it can form 2-mercaptomorpholine-4-carboxyethylate. Ethyl formate is also used to produce drugs such as fish腥草素， Tangjingning， Huangganlong， thiazine， thidiazobenzacene， Lijie sheng， and fully synthetic shanzhongman.