Ethyl acetate is synthesised via the Fischer esterification reaction from ethanol and acetic acid, typically in the presence of an acid catalyst such as concentrated sulfuric acid.
2. Ethyl Acetate is a most familiar ester of ethanol
which you can easily remember by its regular
usage in our daily life. It is also called as ethyl
ethanoate, commonly abbreviated EtOAc or EA.
It is one of the ingredients responsible for the
characteristic smell of a banana flower or
overripe fruit has high levels of ethyl acetate. It is
manufactured on a large scale for use as a
solvent. Ethyl acetate can dissolve up to 3 per
cent water and has a solubility of 8 per cent in
water at room temperature. At elevated
temperature, its solubility in water is higher. It is
unstable in the presence of strong aqueous
bases and acids. www.worldofchemicals.com
3. t is even much more familiar, being present as
one of the ingredients of nail polish remover.
Ethyl Acetate is also present in all beers as it a
natural part of the fermentation process by
yeasts. This flavour plays an importance part in
the overall profile of the beer.
Generally speaking, ethyl acetate is a colourless
liquid and has a characteristic sweet smell. It is
used in glues, decaffeinating tea and coffee, and
cigarettes.
It is also used in paints as an activator or
hardener. Ethyl acetate is present in
confectionery, perfumes.In perfumes, it
evaporates quickly, leaving only the scent of thewww.worldofchemicals.com
4. Synthesizing Process
Ethyl acetate is synthesised via the Fischer
esterification reaction from ethanol and acetic
acid, typically in the presence of an acid catalyst
such as concentrated sulfuric acid. Fischer
esterification is a special type of esterification by
refluxing a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the
presence of an acid catalyst. The reaction was
first described by Emil Fischer and Arthur Speier
in 1895.
This mixture converts to the ester in about 65
synthesising yield at room temperature
CH3CH2OH + CH3COOH → CH3COOCH2CH3 +
H2O www.worldofchemicals.com
5. The reaction can be accelerated by acid catalysis
and the equilibrium can be shifted to the right by
removal of water. It is also prepared in industry
using the Tishchenko reaction, by combining two
equivalents of acetaldehyde in the presence of an
alkoxide catalyst
2 CH3CHO → CH3COOCH2CH3
Silicotungstic acid is used to manufacture ethyl
acetate by the alkylation of acetic acid
by ethylene
C2H4 + CH3CO2H → CH3CO2C2H5
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6. Ethyl acetate synthesizing by
dehydrogenation of ethanol
A specialised industrial route entails
the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethanol.
This method is more cost effective than
the esterification but is applied with
surplus ethanol in a chemical plant.
Typically, dehydrogenation is conducted
with copper at an elevated temperature
but below 250 °C.
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7. Tishchenko Reaction
It can also be prepared through
Tishchenko reaction, by combining
two equivalents of acetaldehyde in
the presence of an alkoxide base
as catalyst. This way is a
commercial method of producing
ethyl acetate.
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