Ethyl propionate is an organic compound with formula C2H5O2CCH2CH3. It is the ethyl ester of propionic acid. It is a colorless volatile liquid with a pineapple-like odor. Some fruits such as kiwis and strawberries contain ethyl propionate in small amounts.
Uses and reactions
It is also used in the production of some antimalarial drugs including pyrimethamine.4
Ethyl propionate can be synthesized by the Fischer esterification of ethanol and propionic acid:
CH3CH2OH + CH3CH2CO2H → CH3CH2O2CCH2CH3 + H2OIt participates in condensation reactions by virtue of the weakly acidic methylene group.5
See also
- Methyl propionate, a similar compound
References
"Ethyl Propionate | Cameo Chemicals | Noaa". Cameochemicals.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2015-02-27. http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/710 ↩
Bartley, J. P.; Schwede, A. M. (1989). "Production of volatile compounds in ripening kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis)". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 37 (4): 1023. doi:10.1021/jf00088a046. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
Perez, A. G.; Rios, J. J.; Sanz, C.; Olias, J. M. (1992). "Aroma components and free amino acids in strawberry variety Chandler during ripening". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 40 (11): 2232. doi:10.1021/jf00023a036. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
MacDonald, Thomas (29 January 2016). "Pyrimethamine synthesis: Status at end of 2015". Daraprim Synthesis. Open Source Malaria. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180426233859/http://malaria.ourexperiment.org/daraprim_synthesis/13962/Pyrimethamine_synthesis_Status_at_end_of_2015.html ↩
Cox, Richard F. B.; McElvain, S. M. (1937). "Ethyl Ethoxalylpropionate". Organic Syntheses. 17: 54. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.017.0054. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩