Ethyl acetate and tea leaves are decaffeinated with this solvent. It is also used in paints as an activator or hardener. Ethyl acetate is present in confectionery, perfumes, and fruits. In perfumes, it evaporates quickly, leaving only the scent of the perfume on the skin. In the laboratory, mixtures containing ethyl acetate are commonly used in column chromatography and extractions. Ethyl acetate is rarely selected as a reaction solvent because it is prone to hydrolysis and transesterification. Ethyl acetate is fairly volatile at room temperature and has a boiling point of . Due to these properties, it can be removed from a
Ethyl cyanohydroxyiminoacetate product can even be obtained in virtually quantitative yield. The compound can be purified by recrystallization from ethanol or ethyl acetate. Compared with the benzotriazole derivatives 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) and 1-hydroxy-7-azabenzotriazole (HOAt) (which are widely used as peptide-linking reagents but are explosive), ethyl cyanohydroxyiminoacetate exhibits a markedly slowed thermal decomposition on heating. Ethyl cyanohydroxyiminoacetate is a white solid which is soluble in many solvents common in the synthesis of peptides, such as dichloromethane or dimethylformamide (DMF). In crystalline form, the compound is present as an oxime, whereas it exists as a salt or in a strongly basic solution predominantly as a