Methyl formate

• Formula: C₂H₄O₂
• Molecular weight: 60.0520
• IUPAC Standard InChI: InChI=1S/C2H4O2/c1-4-2-3/h2H,1H3 Copy

  
• IUPAC Standard InChIKey: TZIHFWKZFHZASV-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copy
• CAS Registry Number: 107-31-3
• Chemical structure:
  This structure is also available as a 2d Mol file or as a computed 3d SD file
  The 3d structure may be viewed using Java or Javascript.
• Other names: Formic acid, methyl ester; Methyl methanoate; HCOOCH3; Formiate de methyle; Methylester kyseliny mravenci; Methylformiaat; Methylformiat; Mravencan methylnaty; UN 1243; Methyl ester of formic acid; Methanoic acid methyl ester
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• Information on this page:
  • Gas phase thermochemistry data
  • Reaction thermochemistry data
  • Gas phase ion energetics data
  • IR Spectrum
  • Mass spectrum (electron ionization)
  • Vibrational and/or electronic energy levels
  • References
  • Notes
• Other data available:
  • Condensed phase thermochemistry data
  • Phase change data
  • Henry's Law data
  • Gas Chromatography
• Data at other public NIST sites:
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  • Gas Phase Kinetics Database
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Gas phase thermochemistry data

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Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Data compiled as indicated in comments:
DRB - Donald R. Burgess, Jr.
ALS - Hussein Y. Afeefy, Joel F. Liebman, and Stephen E. Stein
GT - Glushko Thermocenter, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Constant pressure heat capacity of gas

Reaction thermochemistry data

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Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Data compiled as indicated in comments:
B - John E. Bartmess
ALS - Hussein Y. Afeefy, Joel F. Liebman, and Stephen E. Stein

Note: Please consider using the reaction search for this species. This page allows searching of all reactions involving this species. A general reaction search form is also available. Future versions of this site may rely on reaction search pages in place of the enumerated reaction displays seen below.

Individual Reactions

C₂H₃O₂^- +  =

By formula: C₂H₃O₂^- + H⁺ = C₂H₄O₂

C₂H₃O₂^- +  =

By formula: C₂H₃O₂^- + H⁺ = C₂H₄O₂

 +  =  + 2

By formula: C₄H₁₀O₃ + H₂O = C₂H₄O₂ + 2CH₄O

Gas phase ion energetics data

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Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Data evaluated as indicated in comments:
HL - Edward P. Hunter and Sharon G. Lias
L - Sharon G. Lias

Data compiled as indicated in comments:
B - John E. Bartmess
LL - Sharon G. Lias and Joel F. Liebman
LBLHLM - Sharon G. Lias, John E. Bartmess, Joel F. Liebman, John L. Holmes, Rhoda D. Levin, and W. Gary Mallard
LLK - Sharon G. Lias, Rhoda D. Levin, and Sherif A. Kafafi
RDSH - Henry M. Rosenstock, Keith Draxl, Bruce W. Steiner, and John T. Herron

View reactions leading to C₂H₄O₂⁺ (ion structure unspecified)

Ionization energy determinations

Appearance energy determinations

De-protonation reactions

C₂H₃O₂^- +  =

By formula: C₂H₃O₂^- + H⁺ = C₂H₄O₂

C₂H₃O₂^- +  =

By formula: C₂H₃O₂^- + H⁺ = C₂H₄O₂

IR Spectrum

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Data compiled by: Coblentz Society, Inc.

• GAS (100 mmHg, N2 ADDED, TOTAL PRESSURE 600 mmHg); DOW KBr FOREPRISM-GRATING; DIGITIZED BY NIST FROM HARD COPY (FROM TWO SEGMENTS); 2 cm^-1 resolution

Data compiled by: Tanya L. Myers, Russell G. Tonkyn, Ashley M. Oeck, Tyler O. Danby, John S. Loring, Matthew S. Taubman, Stephen W. Sharpe, Jerome C. Birnbaum, and Timothy J. Johnson

• liquid; Bruker Tensor 27 FTIR; 0.4821395 cm^-1 resolution

Data compiled by: NIST Mass Spectrometry Data Center, William E. Wallace, director

• gas

Mass spectrum (electron ionization)

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Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Data compiled by: NIST Mass Spectrometry Data Center, William E. Wallace, director

Spectrum

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Additional Data

Vibrational and/or electronic energy levels

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Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Data compiled by: Takehiko Shimanouchi

Symmetry:   C_s     Symmetry Number σ = 1

Source: Shimanouchi, 1972

Notes

References

Go To: Top, Gas phase thermochemistry data, Reaction thermochemistry data, Gas phase ion energetics data, IR Spectrum, Mass spectrum (electron ionization), Vibrational and/or electronic energy levels, Notes

Data compilation copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Gladii, Starchevskii, et al., 1990
Gladii, S.L.; Starchevskii, M.K.; Pazderskii, Yu.A.; Moiseev, I.I., Chemical equilibrium in the methyl formate-water-methanol-formic acid system, J. Appl. Chem. USSR, 1990, 63, 106-111. [all data]

Hine and Klueppet, 1974
Hine, J.; Klueppet, A.W., Structural effects on rates and equilibria. XVIII. Thermodynamic stability of ortho esters, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1974, 96, 2924-2929. [all data]

Guthrie, 1974
Guthrie, J.P., Hydration of carboxamides. Evaluation of the free energy change for addition of water to acetamide and formamide derivatives, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1974, 96, 3608-3615. [all data]

Hall and Baldt, 1971
Hall, H.K., Jr.; Baldt, J.H., Thermochemistry of strained-ring bridgehead nitriles and esters, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1971, 93, 140-145. [all data]

Chao J., 1986
Chao J., Thermodynamic properties of key organic oxygen compounds in the carbon range C1 to C4. Part 2. Ideal gas properties, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 1986, 15, 1369-1436. [all data]

Vay P.-M., 1971
Vay P.-M., Tables of thermodynamic functions for gaseous methyl formate and methyl acetate, J. Chim. Phys. Physico-Chim. Biol., 1971, 68, 1757-1758. [all data]

East A.L.L., 1997
East A.L.L., Ab initio statistical thermodynamical models for the computation of third-law entropies, J. Chem. Phys., 1997, 106, 6655-6674. [all data]

Graul and Squires, 1988
Graul, S.T.; Squires, R.R., On the Existence of Alkyl Carbanions in the Gas Phase, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1988, 110, 2, 607, https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00210a054 . [all data]

DePuy, Grabowski, et al., 1985
DePuy, C.H.; Grabowski, J.J.; Bierbaum, V.M.; Ingemann, S.; Nibbering, N.M.M., Gas-phase reactions of anions with methyl formate and N,N-dimethylformamide, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1985, 107, 1093. [all data]

Hunter and Lias, 1998
Hunter, E.P.; Lias, S.G., Evaluated Gas Phase Basicities and Proton Affinities of Molecules: An Update, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 1998, 27, 3, 413-656, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.556018 . [all data]

Waterstradt, Jung, et al., 1994
Waterstradt, E.; Jung, R.; Belling, T.; Muller-Dethlefs, K., Zero kinetic energy (ZEKE) photoelectron spectrum and coincident mass spectra of methyl formate, Ber. Bunsen-Ges. Phys. Chem., 1994, 98, 176. [all data]

Cannington and Ham, 1985
Cannington, P.H.; Ham, N.S., He(II) photoelectron spectra of esters, J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom., 1985, 36, 203. [all data]

Kimura, Katsumata, et al., 1981
Kimura, K.; Katsumata, S.; Achiba, Y.; Yamazaki, T.; Iwata, S., Ionization energies, Ab initio assignments, and valence electronic structure for 200 molecules in Handbook of HeI Photoelectron Spectra of Fundamental Organic Compounds, Japan Scientific Soc. Press, Tokyo, 1981. [all data]

Benoit, Harrison, et al., 1977
Benoit, F.M.; Harrison, A.G.; Lossing, F.P., Hydrogen migrations in mass spectrometry III-Energetics of formation of [R'CO₂H₂]⁺ in the mass spectra of R'CO₂R, Org. Mass Spectrom., 1977, 12, 78. [all data]

Sweigart and Turner, 1972
Sweigart, D.A.; Turner, D.W., Lone pair orbitals and their interactions studied by photoelectron spectroscopy. I. Carboxylic acids and their derivatives, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1972, 94, 5592. [all data]

Watanabe, Nakayama, et al., 1962
Watanabe, K.; Nakayama, T.; Mottl, J., Ionization potentials of some molecules, J. Quant. Spectry. Radiative Transfer, 1962, 2, 369. [all data]

Benoit and Harrison, 1977
Benoit, F.M.; Harrison, A.G., Predictive value of proton affinity. Ionization energy correlations involving oxygenated molecules, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1977, 99, 3980. [all data]

Rao, 1975
Rao, C.N.R., Lone-pair ionization bands of chromophores in the photoelectron spectra of organic molecules, Indian J. Chem., 1975, 13, 950. [all data]

Nishimura, Zha, et al., 1987
Nishimura, T.; Zha, Q.; Meisels, G.G., Unimolecular dissociation of energy-selected methyl formate ion, J. Chem. Phys., 1987, 87, 4589. [all data]

Haney and Franklin, 1969
Haney, M.A.; Franklin, J.L., Excess energies in mass spectra of some oxygen-containing organic compounds, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans., 1969, 65, 1794. [all data]

King and Long, 1958
King, A.B.; Long, F.A., Mass spectra of some simple esters and their interpretation by quasi-equilibrium theory, J. Chem. Phys., 1958, 29, 374. [all data]

VanRaalte and Harrison, 1963
VanRaalte, D.; Harrison, A.G., Ionization and dissociation of formate esters by electron impact, Can. J. Chem., 1963, 41, 2054. [all data]

Shimanouchi, 1972
Shimanouchi, T., Tables of Molecular Vibrational Frequencies Consolidated Volume I, National Bureau of Standards, 1972, 1-160. [all data]

Notes

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• Symbols used in this document:
  

  AE	Appearance energy
  Cp,gas	Constant pressure heat capacity of gas
  IE (evaluated)	Recommended ionization energy
  ΔfH°gas	Enthalpy of formation of gas at standard conditions
  ΔrG°	Free energy of reaction at standard conditions
  ΔrH°	Enthalpy of reaction at standard conditions

• Data from NIST Standard Reference Database 69: NIST Chemistry WebBook
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