An Introduction to Cinnamyl Acetate, Cas No. 103-54-8

Cinnamyl acetate(Cas NO. 103-54-8) is a colorless to pale yellow liquid. It has a molecular weight of 176.22 and the molecular formula is C11H12O2. This chemical is a clear colorless to pale yellowish liquid that immiscible with most non-volatile oil and insoluble in water. It should be sealed in cool place without light. Cinnamyl Acetate has a minimum purity level of 98.0% and a maximum 1.0 acid value. Its specific gravity is 1.050 - 1.054 and refractive index is 1.539 - 1.543. Cinnamyl Acetate has sweet, spicy, floral, cinnamon and honey flavors with a tutti-fruity nuance.

Cinnamyl Acetate Synonyms

Cinnamyl acetate is also known as 3-Phenyl-2-propenyl acetate; 3-Phenylallyl acetate; cinnamyl alcohol acetate; 1-Acetoxy-3-phenyl-2-propene. The IUPAC name is 3-Phenylprop-2-enyl acetate. It belongs to product categories of Alphabetical Listings; C-D; Flavors and Fragrances; C10 to C11; Carbonyl Compounds; Esters. Its EINECS registry number is 203-121-9.

Uses of Cinnamyl Acetate

Cinnamyl acetate is used as a flavour ester in for example bread and animal feed and has a sweet floral-fruity fragrance. Moreover, it is used in several cosmetics, some toiletries but also in non-cosmetic products, for example detergents.

Synthesis of Cinnamyl Acetate

Since cinnamyl acetate is naturally occurring in plants, it can be extracted and purified to obtain the compound. However, this has a low yield and therefore the production costs are high. The use of chemical methods can offer more efficient strategies to produce cinnamyl acetate.

There are multiple ways to synthesize cinnamyl acetate . One way is the synthesis from cinnamyl alcohol and vinyl acetate. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme triacylglycerol ester hydrolase, which is a lipase that is very specific towards the ester bond. The byproduct of this reaction is acetaldehyde.

Since acetaldehyde has an unfavourable deactivating effect on the lipase used in the synthesis, ethyl acetate can be used as reactant instead of vinyl acetate. In this transesterification reaction cinnamyl alcohol reacts with ethyl acetate to form cinnamyl acetate and ethanol.

Cinnamyl acetate  can also be synthesized via a non-enzymatic reaction. An example of such a reaction is one with the use of cinnamyl bromide 3 and sodium acetate as reactants.