Ethyl formate is an ester formed when ethanol (an alcohol) reacts with formic acid (a carboxylic acid). Ethyl formate has the characteristic smell of rum and is also partially responsible for the flavor of raspberries. It occurs naturally in the body of ants and in the stingers of bees. It’s a clear, slightly oily liquid with a pleasant, rumlike odor and the flavor of raspberries.

Production of ethyl formate

The ester occurs in many food substances, including fruits, coffee, tea, and grains. The synthetic product is often used as a flavoring agent in lemonade and artificial alcoholic beverages. It is used industrially as a solvent and as a fungicide and larvicide in processed foods such as dried fruits and cereals.

Synthesis of Ethyl common method is the use of sulfuric acid as catalyst, formic acid and ethanol as a raw material, sulfuric acid as the catalyst production process carboxylate.

The chemical and pharmaceutical technology particularly discloses a method for producing ethyl formate. The method comprises the following steps:

(1) performing synthesis reaction: putting 100 to 120 parts by weight of a reaction raw material 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole into a reaction tank, putting 100 parts by weight of a formic acid at a concentration of 95 to 99 percent into the reaction tank, preserving heat for 10 to 20 minutes after the 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole is completely dissolved, and adding 90 to 100 parts by weight of ethylene oxide to obtain a metronidazole reaction solution;

(2) adding the metronidazole reaction solution into absolute ethyl alcohol, performing stirring and heating to 65 to 70 DEG C, performing refluxing for 1.5 to 2 hours, performing distillation, and collecting a 65 to 100 DEG C distillate, i.e. the ethyl formate, wherein the ratio of the parts by weight of the metronidazole reaction solution and the absolute ethylene alcohol is 3:8. According to the method, alcohol is added in an existing process of producing metronidazole to synthesize the ethyl formate as a byproduct of the metronidazole, so that the raw materials are fully utilized, product sorts are enriched, and the production cost is reduced.