What Are Esters? Properties, Structures, and Uses
Written by: Vertec BioSolvents
Soybeans and corn might not be the first things that come to mind when you look for ways to clean machine parts, remove stubborn adhesives, or dissolve varnish. However, natural esters derived from these kinds of plants are an increasingly popular ingredient in industrial solvents, degreasers, and cleaners. Because they're biodegradable and non-toxic, they can serve as a safe, effective replacement for acetones and other harsh chemicals.
To understand what value esters offer for your industrial spaces, it's important to first learn what they are and how you can use them. In this post, we'll break down the details of esters, including where they come from, how you should store them, and what applications they offer.
What Are Esters?
Esters are organic compounds derived from acids, particularly carboxylic acids. When producing esters, hydrogen is replaced by a methyl, ethyl, or phenyl hydrocarbon group. In other words, esters are developed when an alcohol group bonds with a group of organic acids, which replace water molecules. They're commonly present in organic and biological materials and have a unique fruity smell.
How Are Esters Formed?
Esters are formed by a condensation reaction called esterification, which occurs between alcohols and acids. In many cases, esterification is the result of treating carboxylic acid with an alcohol and a dehydrating agent and using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Another method involves using acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides alcoholysis to produce esters.
How to Handle & Store Esters
Esters are organic and typically pose a low risk to the environment. However, they're highly flammable and can react volatilely when they come into contact with other chemicals. As a result, they require very careful handling and storage.
To minimize risk and maintain stable conditions, you should store esters in a dry, secure environment. Most storage tanks for esters are made of carbon, aluminum, or stainless steel. The tanks should exclude air and moisture, and they don't require external heating because of the low freezing point of ester liquids.
What Are The Different Types of Esters?
Esters fall into two categories: natural and synthetic. While both are suitable for use in solvents and other products, there are some important differences between them.
Natural
The most defining characteristic of natural esters is that they come from renewable sources. They're produced from vegetable oils taken from plant crops, such as corn and soybeans. These plants produce esters as part of their growth cycle.
When using natural esters, the specific type of oil base differs based on the application. Solvents made with natural esters can
replace those made with dibasic esters, which are petroleum-based and thus more hazardous to people and the environment.
Compared to synthetic esters, natural esters have higher pour points. As a result, they're more appropriate for use in indoor locations or places without extreme temperature fluctuations.
Synthetic
While natural esters are derived from vegetable oils, chemists manufacture synthetic esters using select raw materials. To produce a synthetic ester, they choose acids and alcohols and use esterification and heat to produce the ester and remove excess water. In doing so, they can create an ester that's specific to certain applications, such as industrial cleaning or lubrication.
Synthetic esters have oxidation stability and a lower pour point than their natural alternatives. Because of these factors, they're sometimes a better option for colder environments or systems where the substance might come into contact with oxygen from the air.
Practical Uses Of Esters
Esters have wide-ranging applications that span multiple industries. Because of their pleasant smell, they were initially most common in the flavor and fragrance industry, where they're used in perfumes, essential oils, food flavorings, and cosmetics. In recent years, their uses have expanded significantly, particularly when it comes to manufacturing and industrial environments.
Industrial Applications for Esters
For industrial companies, esters aren't appealing because they smell good—although that might be a nice bonus. These types of businesses use esters because they're highly effective organic solvents capable of dissolving a variety of substances, including:
- Coatings
- Paints
- Varnishes
- Adhesives
They're also used in cleaning and degreasing products. Unlike many other solvents and cleaners, which are often carcinogenic or dangerous to humans, esters are typically non-toxic.
Advantages of Using Esters
If you're looking for a safe, environmentally friendly solvent, esters are a solution worth considering. For example, soy methyl ester offers several environmental and safety benefits. It's a sustainable substance that you can use to remove oils, grease, and resins without creating hazardous waste or releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. Other products developed with esters offer similar advantages, and their cost is also often lower than petro-based products.
Natural Esters in Action
In the past, some companies were reluctant to switch to solvents made with natural esters because of concerns about whether they could properly clean or dissolve difficult substances. Fortunately, modern ester solvents are equally as or more effective than the traditional alternatives.
Vertec offers products made with a formula of vegetable esters derived from soybeans and corn. One is VertecBio Gold #2EG, which is good for formulating parts cleaners, industrial cleaners, hand cleaners, and other institutional and janitorial products. A second product, VertecBio Gold #3EG, is suitable for formulating mastic or adhesive removers, asphalt cleaners, release agents, and hand cleaners.
Both these products allow for thorough and intensive industrial uses. At the same time, they're free of environmentally damaging ingredients, ozone-depleting chemicals, and hazardous air pollutants, allowing you to effectively maintain your industrial equipment and surfaces without causing unnecessary harm to the planet.
See the Vertec BioSolvents Collection
Vertec Biosolvents offers environmentally friendly, high-quality solvents that can replace hazardous, petroleum-based chemicals. Vertec products are bio-based and sustainable without sacrificing performance.
We use natural esters and other natural, non-toxic ingredients to formulate the best alternatives to more traditional but toxic chemicals. Contact us to learn more about our approach to sustainable solvents or to request a sample of one of our products.
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