99% Industry grade Isoamyl acetate CAS 123-92-2

I. What is Isoamyl acetate?

Isoamyl acetate, also known as isoamyl acetate, banana oil, or pear oil, is an ester compound formed by the esterification of acetic acid and isoamyl alcohol. It is also a major component of the aroma of fruits such as bananas and pears. Its chemical formula is usually written as:

C7H14O2 (CAS No.: 123-92-2, molecular weight approximately 130.19)

It is a colorless, transparent liquid at room temperature with a fruity aroma similar to pear or banana. Its density is approximately 0.876 g/cm³, melting point is approximately -78.5℃, boiling point is approximately 142.1℃, and flash point is approximately 25℃ (flammable). Isoamyl acetate is slightly soluble in water (0.25%), miscible with most organic solvents such as ethanol, ether, benzene, acetone, and ethyl acetate, and is unstable in alkaline media.

From a molecular structure perspective, isoamyl acetate is composed of acetate groups (CH3COO-) and isopentyl groups (C5H11-), belonging to a typical lower fatty acid ester. The ester groups impart its characteristic fruity aroma—it is naturally found in fruits such as bananas, apples, and pears, and is also a component of bee alarm pheromones; simultaneously, it possesses excellent solubility for paints, nitrocellulose, rosin, and resins—this dual characteristic of "fruity aroma + strong solubility" forms the basis for its widespread application in the fields of food flavorings and solvents.

Chemically, isoamyl acetate is volatile, irritating, and flammable; its vapor can form explosive mixtures with air. It is unstable in alkaline media and incompatible with strong oxidizers. It should be stored in a sealed container, away from fire and heat sources.

Isoamyl acetate, excluding industrial grade, refers to products intended for food, daily chemical, and scientific research applications, primarily including food-grade (food flavoring) and reagent-grade specifications. Compared to industrial grade, these specifications place greater emphasis on the following indicators:

Purity and ester content

Food-grade and reagent-grade products require high main content (generally above 99%), and ester content is the core indicator for measuring purity.

aroma

It should have a pure and rich banana or pear aroma, and aroma is the core indicator of flavoring quality.

acid value

The acid value indicates the amount of free acetic acid present and its level should be kept low as it affects the aroma quality and stability.

Density and refractive index

Density (0.876) and refractive index are generally used to judge purity and quality and must meet the specifications.

II. What other uses does Isoamyl acetate have?

1. Edible flavorings (food grade, core application)

Isoamyl acetate is a food flavoring permitted for use in my country (FEMA 2055). It is widely used to formulate fruit flavorings such as banana, pear, apple, strawberry, pineapple, bayberry, and grape. The dosage is controlled according to normal production needs (up to 2700 mg/kg in chewing gum). It is used in candies, ice cream, beverages, jellies, and baked goods.

2. Daily-use fragrance (chemical grade)

Isoamyl acetate is used as a fruity fragrance component in daily chemical fragrances, and is used in the fragrance blending of daily consumer products such as soaps, synthetic detergents, air fresheners and perfumes, giving the products a fresh and pleasant fruity aroma.

3. Natural fragrance extraction solvent

Isoamyl acetate can be used as a solvent for extracting natural fragrances, helping to extract aroma components from plant materials and serving the natural fragrance industry.

4. Research and laboratory applications (reagent grade)

Isoamyl acetate is a commonly used ester reagent in the laboratory. It can be used in organic synthesis, esterification reaction research and aroma component analysis, and is also a commonly used standard in chromatographic analysis.

5. Nitrocellulose lacquer thinners and paint solvents (core application)

Isoamyl acetate is an important component of "banana oil," named for its banana-like odor. It is mainly used to dissolve and dilute nitrocellulose lacquer, nitrocellulose paint, and other coatings. It is also used as a solvent for automotive paints, industrial paints and wood varnishes. It is an important solvent in the coatings industry because of its excellent solubility for nitrocellulose.

6. Ink Solvents

Isoamyl acetate is used as a solvent for printing inks. It serves to dissolve resins and to adjust viscosity and drying speed. It is utilised in the manufacture of packaging printing and industrial inks.

7. Solvents in leather and rayon processing

Isoamyl acetate is used as a processing solvent in the leather industry and in the production and processing of rayon and films to help dissolve and disperse related materials.

8. Adhesive solvents

Isoamyl acetate is used as a solvent component in adhesives to help dissolve resins, adjust the viscosity and drying properties of adhesives, and is applied in the production of industrial adhesives.

9. Teaching and Popular Science Experiments

The esterification of acetic acid and isoamyl alcohol to produce a banana-scented product is a classic demonstration experiment of esterification reaction in middle school and university chemistry teaching, helping students to intuitively understand the principle of esterification reaction.

Summarize

Isoamyl acetate is also called banana oil or pear oil. It is a colourless ester liquid with a typical banana and pear aroma. It naturally occurs in fruit such as bananas, apples and pears, and is the most widely used fruit-flavored food flavour, as well as the source of the aroma of the classic solvent "banana oil". In our daily life, we encounter it in banana-flavored foods, chewing gum, natural fruit aromas, paints and coatings, daily chemical fragrances and chemical teaching experiments. In addition to the industry, food grade and reagent grade isoamyl acetate is extensively applied in the manufacturing of banana and pear flavour food flavourings, fragrance blending of daily chemicals, extraction of natural flavours, esterification reaction teaching experiments, and scientific research laboratories. It is an important fruit flavour ester compound, linking "daily use" with "food, daily chemicals, education".