Methyl butyrate

 ( Methyl Esters ) 

Methyl butyrate, also known under the systematic name methyl butanoate, is the methyl ester of butyric acid. Like most esters, it has a fruity odor, in this case resembling or . Methyl butyrate, thegoodscentscompany.com At room temperature, it is a colorless liquid with low solubility in water, upon which it floats to form an oily layer. Although it is flammability, it has a relatively low vapor pressure (40 mmHg at ), so it can be safely handled at room temperature without special safety precautions. Aldrich Chemicals Handbook, Sigma-Aldrich Company, Milwaukee, (2007)

Methyl butyrate is present in small amounts in several plant products, especially pineapple oil. It can be produced by distillation from of vegetable origin, but is also manufactured on a small scale for use in perfumes Use of methyl butyrate as an additive in perfume and as a food flavoring.

Methyl butyrate has been used in combustion studies as a surrogate fuel for the larger fatty acid methyl esters found in biodiesel. Methyl butyrate as a component of biodiesel However, studies have shown that, due to its short-chain length, methyl butyrate does not reproduce well the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behaviour and early CO₂ formation characteristics of real biodiesel fuels. Therefore, methyl butyrate is not a suitable surrogate fuel for biodiesel combustion studies.