Methyl pivalate is an
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. T ...
with the formula CH
3O
2CC(CH
3)
3. It is a colorless liquid, the methyl
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides a ...
of
pivalic acid
Pivalic acid is a carboxylic acid with a molecular formula of (CH3)3CCO2H. This colourless, odiferous organic compound is solid at room temperature. A common abbreviation for the pivalyl or pivaloyl group (''t''-BuC(O)) is Piv and for pivalic acid ...
. The ester is well known for being resistant to hydrolysis to the parent acid. Hydrolysis can be effected with a solution of
trimethylsilyl iodide in hot
acetonitrile followed by aqueous workup.
References
{{Esters
Flavors
Methyl esters
Perfume ingredients
Pivalate esters