Brief Overview
Butyl acetate, also called butyl ethanoate, is an organic compound with medium volatility and a characteristic fruity ester odor. It is found in many types of fruit, where, along with other chemicals, it imparts characteristic flavors and has the sweet scent of banana or apple. Butyl acetate is a medium-boiling ester solvent. It is highly flammable and miscible with all common organic solvents, but has only slight miscibility in water. Butyl acetate is volatile in the atmosphere and undergoes photochemical oxidation reactions with hydroxyl radicals and chlorine atoms.
Manufacturing Process
The esterification of butanol and acetic acid results in the formation of butyl acetate, with sulfuric acid serving as the catalyst. The removal of water through azeotropic separation drives the reaction to completion. Subsequently, the acid catalyst is neutralized, and the ester undergoes purification via distillation.