What is Ethyl Acetate?
Ethyl acetate also known as the ethyl ethanoate is taken as one of the important chemical compounds and it is highly useful in many chemical reactions. The chemical formula for the compound is CH3COOCH2CH3 and its condensed formula is the C4H8O2. The molecular weight of the compound is 88.106 g mL-1.
Ethyl Acetate Structure
This is an ester that is prepared by replacing hydroxyl group through ethoxy group in the acetic acid. It forms a tetrahedral geometry and its chemical structure is given as below.
Ethyl Acetate Chemical Formula
This compound is not available in nature in a huge amount but it is available in wines or other alcoholic beverages. In these drinks, only a smart part of acetic acid is added that will react with ethanol to form the ethyl acetate and it is responsible for the taste of some old wines. To prepare the ethyl acetate, you should mix ethanol, acetic acid, and sulfuric acid together at 60-70-degree temperature to promote the esterification of carboxyl acid to the ester.
CH3COOH + CH3CH2OH → CH3COOC2H5 + H2O
Ethyl Acetate Molecular
The esterification reaction is usually a reversible reaction where you could ass excess of reagents to improve the overall yield. If we look at the physical properties of the compound then it is a colorless fruity color liquid whose melting and boiling points are given as -83.6 ºC and 77.06 ºC respectively and its density is 0.894 g mL-1. The compound is not soluble in the water and it is soluble in most organic solvents like benzene, acetone, toluene, or chloroform etc.