Appearance Colorless liquid Density 917 kg/m³ | Formula C3H6O2 Boiling point 54.3 °C | |
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Ethyl formate
Ethyl formate is an ester formed when ethanol (an alcohol) reacts with formic acid (a carboxylic acid). It is also known as ethyl methanoate because formic acid is also known as methanoic acid. Ethyl formate has the characteristic smell of rum and is also partially responsible for the flavor of raspberries. It occurs naturally in the body of ants and in the stingers of bees.
Contents
- Ethyl formate
- Ethyl formate market 2010 2020 global key manufacturers analysis review
- Exposure
- In space
- References
Ethyl formate market 2010 2020 global key manufacturers analysis review
Exposure
Ethyl methanoate is generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to the U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ethyl formate can irritate eyes, skin, mucous membranes, and the respiratory system of humans and other animals; it is also a central nervous system depressant. In industry, it is used as a solvent for cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, oils, and greases. It can be used as a substitute for acetone; workers may also be exposed to it under the following circumstances:
OSHA considers a time-weighted average of 100 parts per million (300 milligrams per cubic meter) over an eight-hour period as the permissible exposure limit. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also considers a time-weighted average of 100 ppm over an eight-hour period as the recommended exposure limit.
In space
Astronomers have identified ethyl formate in dust clouds in an area of the Milky Way galaxy called Sagittarius B2. The astronomers, from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, used the 30 metre IRAM radiotelescope in Spain to analyse the spectra of radiation emitted from hot regions near a new star. It is among 50 molecules identified by the astronomers.