What Is Ethylene Carbonate?
Ethylene carbonate is the cyclic ester of ethylene glycol and carbonic acid. Its chemical formula is C3H4O3, and its molecular weight is 88.06.
At room temperature (25 °C), ethylene carbonate is a clear glassy solid with a low melting point of 34-37 °C. In its liquid form, it is colorless and odorless. There are many known methods for synthesizing ethylene carbonate.
The most commonly used industrial method involves the reaction of ethylene glycol with phosgene. However, due to environmental impact concerns, research on phosgene-free synthesis methods has been progressing in recent years.
Uses of Ethylene Carbonate
Ethylene carbonate is widely used as an organic solvent. It is a highly polar solvent that can dissolve large amounts of electrolytes, making it particularly useful as a solvent in electrolyte solutions for lithium-ion secondary batteries.
Additionally, ethylene carbonate has gained industrial use as an excellent solvent for polymerization. Similar to ethylene oxide and ethyleneimine, it can undergo ring-opening addition reactions or condensation reactions with compounds containing active hydrogen, which are important for synthesizing polymers. This aspect of ethylene carbonate has attracted significant attention in the field.