Methyl acetate

Synonyms：Methyl acetate

CAS No.：79-20-9

EINECS No.：201-185-2

Molecular Formula：C₃H₆O₂

Molecular Weight：74.08

Structural Formula：

Standard：

Applications：Methyl Acetate, also known as Methyl Ethanoate, is a low-toxicity, high-solubility, and fast-drying organic chemical product. With excellent physical and chemical properties, it is widely used in various fields such as industrial solvents, chemical synthesis, fragrances & food additives, and environmental protection materials, making it one of the indispensable basic raw materials in the chemical industry. The following are the most common and core uses of Methyl Acetate, covering mainstream application scenarios and industry adaptation needs.

I. Industrial Solvent Field (Core Mainstream Use, Accounting for 60%-70%)

As a high-efficiency and low-toxicity solvent, Methyl Acetate has strong solubility and moderate volatilization rate, and can adapt to various resin systems. It is a preferred raw material for coatings, inks, adhesives and other industries, often replacing traditional solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), toluene, and ethyl acetate, with both cost advantages and environmental protection properties.

1. Coating and Paint Industry: It can efficiently dissolve nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, acrylic resin, alkyd resin, etc., and is widely used in the production of wood coatings, industrial protective coatings, automotive refinish coatings, plastic coatings and other products. Its fast-drying property can accelerate film formation, improve film smoothness and adhesion, and its low-toxicity property meets the environmental upgrading needs of the modern coating industry, adapting to various industrial and civil coating scenarios.

2. Ink Industry: Suitable for the production of gravure printing inks, flexographic printing inks, and screen printing inks, it is mainly used to adjust the fluidity, drying speed and film-forming effect of inks, improve the color saturation and clarity of printed matter, adapt to various printing substrates such as paper and plastic films, and is commonly used in food packaging, plastic packaging, book and periodical printing and other scenarios.

3. Adhesive Industry

In solvent-based polyurethane adhesives, acrylate adhesives, and neoprene adhesives, it acts as a core solvent to dissolve polymer substrates, while accurately adjusting the viscosity of adhesives, enhancing the wettability and bonding strength to adherends. It is widely used in artificial leather, leather products, plastic composite, wood bonding and other fields, with excellent anti-whitening performance, adapting to complex bonding processes.

4. Cleaning and Surface Treatment: It can be used as a degreasing cleaning agent for precision instruments and electronic components, efficiently removing oil stains and impurities without damaging the substrate; at the same time, it is used as gun cleaning fluid and cleaning agent for coating and ink production equipment, quickly dissolving residual resin to facilitate equipment maintenance; in artificial leather and leather processing, it can also be used as a surface treatment agent to improve product hand feel and gloss.

II. Chemical Synthesis Intermediate Field

Methyl Acetate is an important organic synthesis raw material. It can prepare a variety of high-value-added chemical products through carbonylation, transesterification and other reactions, widely empowering the industrial chain extension of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fine chemicals and other industries.

1. Core Raw Material for Acetic Anhydride Production: Acetic anhydride can be efficiently synthesized through the carbonylation reaction of Methyl Acetate. As a key chemical raw material, acetic anhydride is further used in the production of cellulose acetate, pharmaceuticals, dyes, fragrances and other products, which is the core application direction of Methyl Acetate in the synthesis field.

2. Synthesis of Pharmaceutical and Pesticide Intermediates: It can be used to prepare pharmaceutical intermediates such as vitamin B1, sulfonamides, and antibiotics, as well as a variety of pesticide technical materials and intermediates, providing stable reaction raw materials for the pharmaceutical and pesticide industries and supporting refined production.

3. Synthesis of Other Esters and Chemical Products: It synthesizes products such as vinyl acetate, methyl acrylate, methyl cinnamate, and acetamide through transesterification reactions. These products are widely used in resins, fragrances, chemical fibers and other industries, enriching the chemical product system.

III. Fragrance and Food Additive Field

Methyl Acetate has a natural fruity aroma, meets food-grade and daily-use fragrance safety standards, and is an important raw material for fragrance blending and natural fragrance extraction, adapting to the safety needs of food, daily chemical and other industries.

1. Edible Flavor Blending: It is used to blend fruity edible flavors such as banana, grape, apple, and pear, as well as wine flavoring agents such as rum and brandy. It can endow products with a natural and mellow aroma, and is widely used in the processing of beverages, candies, pastries, wines and other foods.

2. Natural Fragrance Extraction: As a solvent for natural fragrance extraction, it can efficiently separate active ingredients in fragrances, improve aroma purity and stability, and is often used in the extraction and processing of flowers and plant essential oils, adapting to the production of perfumes, cosmetics, daily-use fragrances and other products.

IV. Environmental Protection and Other Special Fields

1. Environmentally Friendly Foaming Agent: In the production of polyurethane shoe materials, foam plastics, thermal insulation materials, etc., it is used as an environmentally friendly foaming agent to replace traditional foaming agents such as cyclopentane and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It has a low ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) value, meets global environmental protection policy requirements, and can optimize the pore uniformity and thermal insulation performance of foams.

2. Extraction and Reaction Medium: As an extractant for oils and plant active ingredients, it is used for the extraction of active ingredients in the food and cosmetics industries; in the production of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, it serves as a reaction medium to provide a stable reaction environment, improving reaction conversion rate and product purity.

Storage：Store in a cool and well-ventilated warehouse. Keep away from ignition sources and heat sources. The warehouse temperature should not exceed 30℃. Keep containers tightly sealed. Store separately from oxidants; mixed storage is strictly prohibited. Use explosion-proof lighting and ventilation facilities.

Packing：180kg iron drum