Ethyl sulfate process in which ethylene is reacted with sulfuric acid to produce ethyl sulfate followed by hydrolysis, but this method has been mostly replaced by direct hydration of ethylene. Ethyl sulfate can be produced in a laboratory setting by reacting ethanol with sulfuric acid under a gentle boil, while keeping the reaction below 140 °C. The sulfuric acid must be added dropwise or the reaction must be actively cooled because the reaction itself is highly exothermic. If the temperature exceeds 140 °C, the ethyl sulfate product tends to react with residual ethanol starting material, producing diethyl ether. If the temperature exceeds
Ethyl methanesulfonate Ethyl methanesulfonate Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a mutagenic, teratogenic, and possibly carcinogenic organic compound with formula CHSO. It produces random mutations in genetic material by nucleotide substitution; particularly by guanine alkylation. This typically produces only point mutations. It can induce mutations at a rate of 5x10 to 5x10 per gene without substantial killing. The ethyl group of EMS reacts with guanine in DNA, forming the abnormal base "O"-ethylguanine. During DNA replication, DNA polymerases that catalyze the process frequently place thymine, instead of cytosine, opposite "O"-ethylguanine. Following subsequent rounds of replication, the original G:C base pair can become an A:T pair