Methyl butyrate, also known under the systematic name methyl butanoate, is the methylester of butyric acid. Like most esters, it has a fruity odor, in this case resembling apples or pineapples.[2] At room temperature, it is a colorless liquid with low solubility in water, upon which it floats to form an oily layer. Although it is flammable, it has a relatively low vapor pressure (40 mmHg at 30 °C (86 °F)), so it can be safely handled at room temperature without special safety precautions.[3]
Methyl butyrate is present in small amounts in several plant products, especially pineapple oil.[4] It can be produced by distillation from essential oils of vegetable origin, but is also manufactured on a small scale for use in perfumes[5] and as a food flavoring.
Methyl butyrate has been used in combustion studies as a surrogate fuel for the larger fatty acid methyl esters found in biodiesel.[6] However, studies have shown that, due to its short-chain length, methyl butyrate does not reproduce well the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behaviour and early CO2 formation characteristics of real biodiesel fuels. Therefore, methyl butyrate is not a suitable surrogate fuel for biodiesel combustion studies.[7]
^Flath, Robert A.; Forrey, R. R. (1970). "Volatile components of Smooth Cayenne pineapple". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 18 (2): 306–309. doi:10.1021/jf60168a018.