Methyl ''p''-toluate is the
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
with the formula CH
3C
6H
4CO
2CH
3. It is a waxy white solid that is soluble in common organic solvents. It is the methyl ester of
''p''-toluic acid. Methyl ''p''-toluate per se is not particularly important but is an intermediate in some routes to
dimethyl terephthalate
Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(COOCH3)2. It is the diester formed from terephthalic acid and methanol. It is a white solid that melts to give a distillable colourless liquid.Richard J. Sheehan "Tere ...
, a
commodity chemical.
[{{cite journal, title=p-Xylene Oxidation to Terephthalic Acid: A Literature Review Oriented toward Process Optimization and Development, author1=Tomas, Rogerio A. F. , author2=Bordado, Joao C. M. , author3=Gomes, Joao F. P. , journal=Chemical Reviews, year=2013, volume=113, issue=10 , pages=7421–69 , doi=10.1021/cr300298j , pmid=23767849]
References
Methyl esters
Benzoate esters
Commodity chemicals