General Description
A clear colorless liquid with a sweetish solvent odor. Specific gravity 1.073. Flash point 176°F. Boiling point 383-384°F. Difficult to ignite. Used as a laboratory reagent and in the production of some organic chemicals.
Reactivity Profile
An ester. Esters react with acids to liberate heat along with alcohols and acids. Strong oxidizing acids may cause a vigorous reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to ignite the reaction products. Heat is also generated by the interaction of esters with caustic solutions. Flammable hydrogen is generated by mixing esters with alkali metals and hydrides.
Air & Water Reactions
Slightly soluble in water.
Health Hazard
Inhalation or contact with material may irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
Chemical Properties
colourless liquid
Chemical Properties
Phenylacetate, a product of phenylalanine metabolism. It is a small molecule normally present in the mammalian circulation
in low concentrations. Phenylacetate has an offensive odor.
Uses
Phenyl Acetate is a metabolite of Phenylbutyrate (PB), useful in the treatment of neuroblastoma and lung cancer. An odorant found in strawberries, passion fruit and black tea.
Definition
ChEBI: An acetate ester obtained by the formal condensation of phenol with acetic acid.
Safety Profile
Moderately toxic by ingestion. Mildly toxic by skin contact. A skin irritant. Combustible when exposed to heat, flame oroxidizers. To fight fire, use alcohol foam. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.
Synthesis
Phenyl acetate is synthesized by reacting phenol with acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride.
Purification Methods
Phenyl acetate acid is freed from phenol and acetic acid by washing (either directly or as a solution in pentane) with aqueous 5% Na2CO3, then with saturated aqueous CaCl2, drying with CaSO4 or Na2SO4, and fractionally distilling under reduced pressure. [Beilstein 6 II 153, 6 III 595, 6 IV 611.]
Toxics Screening Level
The ITSL for phenyl acetate has been changed from 0.04 μg/m3 to 0.1 μg/m3
based on an annual averaging time.
