Industrial-grade 99% Isoamyl Acetate CAS 123-92-2

What is isoamyl acetate? What are its industrial applications?

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. Simultaneously, it exhibits excellent solubility in paints, nitrocellulose, rosin, resins, castor oil, and neoprene rubber, along with a moderate boiling point and suitable evaporation rate—this "strong solubility + moderate volatility" characteristic forms the basis for its widespread application in industries such as coatings, inks, and extraction.

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 kept in a closed container, away from fire and heat sources.

Industrial grade isoamyl acetate is a product mainly used for industrial production, purity is generally above 99%. The industrial-grade products pay more attention to the following indicators than food-grade and reagent-grade products:

Ester content and purity

Purity directly influences solubility and the downstream product quality. Industrial grade usually requires a main content of over 99%.

Moisture

Too high moisture content can influence the drying properties and stability of coatings and inks and has to be kept low.

acid value

The acid value is an indicator of the free acid content, which affects product stability and downstream applications and must be kept at a low level.

Density and refractive index

Typical measures for judging purity and quality are density (0.876) and refractive index and should meet the specifications.

Boiling range

Boiling range indicates purity and composition, and must be within specifications to assure stable solvent performance.

II. What are the uses of industrial-grade Isoamyl acetate?

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

Isoamyl acetate is a significant component of " banana oil " , named for its banana - like smell . 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 very good at dissolving nitrocellulose and is an important solvent in the coatings industry.

2. Inks Solvents

Isoamyl acetate is used in printing inks as a solvent to assist in the dissolution of resins and to modify viscosity and drying time. It is used in the production of packaging printing inks and industrial inks.

3. Extractant

Isoamyl acetate is an important solvent in the fragrance industry for extraction of natural fragrances and extraction and separation of antibiotics (e.g. penicillin).

4. Solvents for 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.

5. Adhesive solvents

Isoamyl acetate is used as a solvent component in adhesives, for dissolving resins, adjusting viscosity and drying properties of adhesives and is used in the manufacture of industrial adhesives.

6. Banana-flavored food (core product)

In my country isoamyl acetate is a permitted food flavouring and is widely used for flavouring fruits such as banana, pear, apple, strawberry and pineapple. It is present in banana flavoured candies, ice cream, drinks and jellies.

7. Daily chemical fragrance products (indirect contact)

Isoamyl acetate is used in fragrance formulations for soaps, synthetic detergents and other daily chemical products. It could be in the scents of the soaps and laundry detergents we use.

8. Other Applications

Its applications include textile processing auxiliaries, industrial cleaning agents, and color developing agents, and its scope continues to expand.

Summarize

Isoamyl acetate, also known as banana oil or pear oil, is a colorless ester liquid with a typical banana and pear aroma. It is naturally found in fruits such as bananas, apples, and pears, and is both the most widely used fruit flavoring agent and the source of the aroma in the classic solvent "banana oil." In daily life, we encounter it through banana-flavored foods, chewing gum, natural fruit aromas, paints and coatings, daily chemical fragrances, and chemical teaching experiments. In industry, industrial-grade isoamyl acetate is widely used as a thinner for nitrocellulose lacquer and a solvent for paints (the core component), a solvent for printing inks, a natural fragrance extractant, a solvent for leather and rayon processing, and a solvent for adhesives. It is an important ester solvent connecting "daily use" and "paints and inks."