Description

What is Butyl Acetate?
Normal butyl acetate (also known as n-butyl acetate) is a chemical compound with a molecular formula of C₆H₁₂O₂. It is commonly used as a solvent in the production of lacquers, inks and adhesives. This product is a colourless liquid that has a fruity banana odour. This product is highly flammable with a flash point of 24° C and a flammability rating of 3. It is highly miscible with all common organic solvents (alcohols, ketones, glycols, esters) but has only slight miscibility in water.

How is it produced?
Butyl acetate is a type of an ester; a substance formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol along with the elimination of water. In this case, the reaction is between acetic acid and butyl alcohol.

Butyl Acetate used for?
The most common use of normal butyl acetate is as a solvent in the production of lacquers and paints. Its other major use is in the creation of adhesives and hardened coatings. Normal butyl acetate is also used in the pharmaceutical industry as a solvent or an extraction agent. Its minor uses include cosmetic products, fragrance solvent in perfumes, as an anti-corrosive agent, in cleaning and car care products. It is also used in the synthetic fruit flouring industry. The main user end markets are the paints/lacquers, coatings, cosmetics, leather, cleaning and the pharmaceutical industries.