Amyl Acetate

AMYL ACETATE, C₅H₁₁O₂C₃H₅, a colorless, flammable and explosive liquid, with specific gravity 0.875 at 15°, boiling point 138°, with a pear-like odor. Impure A. has a yellowish color and unpleasant odor. It serves as a solvent for cellulose, nitrocellulose, and acetate cellulose in the production of various lacquers. The most well-known is airplane dope (solution of nitrocellulose in A.). A. is the solvent in "galvanolac," "victoria-lac," and others. These lacquers are used for coating various metal and jewelry items, wire, airplane wings, leather, optical apparatus, in the production of pencils, fountain pens, wooden goods, oilcloth, etc. In addition, A. is used as an adhesive in the production of celluloid and brushware, as a solvent for photo- and film, in the production of batteries. When inhaled as vapor, A. causes scratching in the throat, cough, nervous symptoms (headache, dizziness, depression), symptoms from the digestive organs (nausea, diarrhea), palpitations, rushes to the head, etc. A. dissolves the fatty lubrication of the skin, causing dryness and dermatitis. According to Lehmann, a concentration of 20 mg of A. per 1 liter of air has a strong toxic effect, and for humans, 5 mg per 1 liter of air for one hour causes mild irritation. Habituation often occurs. -Preventive measures: general rational ventilation, separation of drying rooms, hermetization, lacquering under sufficient negative pressure, lubrication of workers' skin with fat, etc. To replace amyl acetate, cyclo-hexanol-acetate, which is 3-5 times less volatile, and other compounds have been proposed.