Ethyl butyrate
Encyclopedia
Ethyl butyrate, also known as ethyl butanoate, or butyric ether, is an ester
with the chemical formula CH3CH2CH2COOCH2CH3. It is soluble in propylene glycol
, paraffin oil, and kerosene
. It has a fruity odor, similar to pineapple.
flavor
ing in alcoholic beverages (e.g. martinis, daiquiris etc), as a solvent in perfumery
products, and as a plasticizer
for cellulose
. In addition, ethyl butyrate is often also added to orange juice, as most associate its odor with that of fresh orange juice.
Ethyl butyrate is one of the most common chemicals used in flavors and fragrances. It can be used in a variety of flavors orange (most common), cherry, pineapple, mango, guava, bubblegum, peach, apricot, fig, and plum. In industrial use, it is also one of the cheapest chemicals, which only adds to its popularity.
and butyric acid
. This is a condensation reaction
, meaning water is produced in the reaction as a byproduct.
Ester
Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...
with the chemical formula CH3CH2CH2COOCH2CH3. It is soluble in propylene glycol
Propylene glycol
Propylene glycol, also called 1,2-propanediol or propane-1,2-diol, is an organic compound with formula C3H8O2 or HO-CH2-CHOH-CH3...
, paraffin oil, and kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
. It has a fruity odor, similar to pineapple.
Uses
It is commonly used as artificial flavoring such as pineapplePineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
flavor
Flavor
Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and smell. The "trigeminal senses", which detect chemical irritants in the mouth and throat as well as temperature and texture, are also very important to the overall...
ing in alcoholic beverages (e.g. martinis, daiquiris etc), as a solvent in perfumery
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
products, and as a plasticizer
Plasticizer
Plasticizers or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added; these include plastics, cement, concrete, wallboard, and clay. Although the same compounds are often used for both plastics and concretes the desired effects and results are...
for cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
. In addition, ethyl butyrate is often also added to orange juice, as most associate its odor with that of fresh orange juice.
Ethyl butyrate is one of the most common chemicals used in flavors and fragrances. It can be used in a variety of flavors orange (most common), cherry, pineapple, mango, guava, bubblegum, peach, apricot, fig, and plum. In industrial use, it is also one of the cheapest chemicals, which only adds to its popularity.
Production
It can be synthesized by reacting ethanolEthanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
and butyric acid
Butyric acid
Butyric acid , also known under the systematic name butanoic acid, is a carboxylic acid with the structural formula CH3CH2CH2-COOH. Salts and esters of butyric acid are known as butyrates or butanoates...
. This is a condensation reaction
Condensation reaction
A condensation reaction is a chemical reaction in which two molecules or moieties combine to form one single molecule, together with the loss of a small molecule. When this small molecule is water, it is known as a dehydration reaction; other possible small molecules lost are hydrogen chloride,...
, meaning water is produced in the reaction as a byproduct.