Acetoin

Overview IFRA Botanical Request a quote

  • Identifiers

    CAS number
    513-86-0

    Molecular formula
    C4H8O2

    SMILES
    CC(C(=O)C)O

    Safety labels

    Flammable
    Flammable

    Corrosive
    Corrosive

    Irritant
    Irritant

    Retention indicies (RI)

    • DB5: 718.0
    • Carbowax: 1289.14

  • Odor profile

    Sweet 76.04%
    Buttery 75.0%
    Caramellic 67.76%
    Creamy 66.53%
    Fatty 55.84%
    Nutty 48.13%
    Milky 47.54%
    Dairy 47.42%
    Oily 37.32%
    Pungent 36.81%

    Scent© AI

  • Properties

    XLogP3-AA
    -0.3

    pKa est.
    8.58 (weak base)

    Molecular weight
    88.11 g/mol

    Vapor pressure est.

    • hPa @ 20°C
    • hPa @ 25°C

    Evaporation rate
    Very fast

    Melting point expt.

    • 15 °C
    • 59 °F

    Boiling point

    • 148 °C at 760 mm Hg
    • 147.00 to 148.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
    • 298.4 °F

    Flash point est.
    53.1 ˚C

    Flash point expt.

    • 41 °C
    • 106 °F

    Solubility expt.

    • Sparingly soluble in ether, petroleum ether
    • Soluble in alcohol, slightly soluble in ether.
    • Miscible with alcohol, propylene glycol; insoluble in vegetable oil
    • Miscible in water.
    • 1000 mg/mL at 20 °C
    • insoluble in vegetable oils; miscible with alcohol, water, propylene glycol

  • Synonyms

    • acetoin
    • 3-hydroxy-2-butanone
    • 513-86-0
    • 3-hydroxybutan-2-one
    • acetylmethylcarbinol
    • Dimethylketol
    • Acetyl methyl carbinol
    • 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy-
    • 2,3-Butanolone
    • 2-Hydroxy-3-butanone
    • 1-Hydroxyethyl methyl ketone
    • Acetoin (natural)
    • Methanol, acetylmethyl-
    • Acethoin
    • gamma-Hydroxy-beta-oxobutane
    • 3-hydroxyl-2-butanone
    • FEMA No. 2008
    • 2-Acetoin
    • CCRIS 2918
    • HSDB 974
    • 2-Butanol-3-one
    • NSC 7609
    • Butan-2-ol-3-one
    • acetoine
    • 2-hydroxy-3-oxobutane
    • (+/-)-Acetoin
    • beta-oxobutane
    • b-oxobutane
    • Acetoin dimer
    • .gamma.-Hydroxy-.beta.-oxobutane
    • DL-Acetoin
    • AI3-03314
    • UNII-BG4D34CO2H
    • EINECS 208-174-1
    • BG4D34CO2H
    • UN2621
    • 3-Oxo-2-butanol
    • BRN 0385636
    • 51555-24-9
    • ACETOIN MONOMER
    • DI-METHYLKETOL
    • DTXSID0024399
    • Methanol, acetylmethyl
    • (+/-)-3-Hydroxybutan-2-one
    • ACETOIN (DIMER)
    • ACETOIN [FHFI]
    • ACETOIN [HSDB]
    • NSC-7609
    • ACETOIN [MI]
    • ACETOIN (MONOMER)
    • MFCD00004521
    • Butan-2-one, 3-hydroxy-
    • DTXCID304399
    • ACETOIN (DIMER) [FCC]
    • CHEBI:15688
    • ACETOIN (MONOMER) [FCC]
    • 2-01-00-00870 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
    • UN 2621
    • Acetoin (~90%)
    • 3H-2B butanone
    • 1-Hydroxethyl methyl ketone
    • acetylmethyl-
    • 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy-, (R)-
    • Butan2ol3one
    • 2Hydroxy3butanone
    • 3Hydroxy2butanone
    • 2,3Butanolone
    • 2Butanone, 3hydroxy
    • g-Hydroxy-b-oxobutane
    • 3-hydroxy-2-oxobutane
    • gammaHydroxybetaoxobutane
    • 2-butanone, 3-hydroxy
    • 3-hydroxy-butan-2-one
    • 3-hydroxy-butane-2-one
    • 1Hydroxyethyl methyl ketone
    • Acetoin, analytical standard
    • (+-)-ACETOIN
    • Acetoin, >=96%, natural
    • BUTAN-2-0L-3-ONE
    • (.+-.)-ACETOIN
    • CHEMBL3561873
    • 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy-, dimer
    • NSC7609
    • Acetoin, natural, >=95%, FG
    • ACETOIN(MAY INCLUDE DIMER)
    • Acetoin, >=96%, FCC, FG
    • (S)-3-HYDROXY-2-BUTANONE
    • NSC89727
    • Tox21_302518
    • LMFA12000020
    • NSC-89727
    • (+-)-3-HYDROXYBUTAN-2-ONE
    • AKOS000121293
    • AKOS017278202
    • FH36652
    • 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy- (8CI,9CI)
    • Acetoin, May exist as crystalline dimer
    • Acetoin (may exist as crystalline dimer)
    • NCGC00256914-01
    • (.+-.)-3-HYDROXYBUTAN-2-ONE
    • 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy-, (.+/-.)-
    • CAS-513-86-0
    • PD124062
    • 3-Hydroxybutan-2-one (may include dimer)
    • DB-003392
    • H0225
    • NS00011932
    • EN300-21639
    • C00466
    • D93492
    • Q223083
    • Acetyl methyl carbinol [UN2621] [Flammable liquid]
    • 2,3,5,6- TETRAMETHYL-1,4-DIOXANE-2,5-DIOL
    • F0001-1338
    • 208-174-1

  • Applications

    Acetoin, also known as 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (CAS 513-86-0), is a key natural flavor compound with a mild buttery aroma that is widely employed as a flavoring agent in candies, dairy desserts, margarine, beverages, instant coffee and e-liquids; it arises naturally during microbial fermentation, therefore it is used as a biochemical marker and as an aroma enhancer in fermented products such as beer, yogurt and kimchi; in cosmetics acetoin contributes fragrance to creams, lipsticks and perfumes and acts as a tone modifier in complex perfumes; in pharmaceuticals it serves as an intermediate in the synthesis of pyrazine-containing actives and is investigated as a microbial signaling molecule and deodorizing agent; industrially acetoin is a solvent for cellulose, resins and nitrocellulose, a building block for biodegradable polymers, a component of semiconductor cleaning solutions, an antifreeze additive and a fermentation booster in large-scale production of 2,3-butanediol, and it can be formulated into inks, coatings and bio-insecticides to lower toxicity while improving active release.

  • Solubility @25˚C

    Solvent Solubility (g/L)
    ethanol 453.98
    methanol 804.05
    isopropanol 271.48
    water 1251.27
    ethyl acetate 44.22
    n-propanol 262.83
    acetone 110.27
    n-butanol 219.82
    acetonitrile 123.87
    DMF 348.88
    toluene 7.55
    isobutanol 204.11
    1,4-dioxane 130.0
    methyl acetate 74.55
    THF 134.27
    2-butanone 76.08
    n-pentanol 121.6
    sec-butanol 216.79
    n-hexane 7.77
    ethylene glycol 340.47
    NMP 261.83
    cyclohexane 6.1
    DMSO 224.65
    n-butyl acetate 15.22
    n-octanol 47.81
    chloroform 63.68
    n-propyl acetate 21.72
    acetic acid 491.58
    dichloromethane 62.96
    cyclohexanone 83.72
    propylene glycol 313.11
    isopropyl acetate 24.45
    DMAc 288.25
    2-ethoxyethanol 222.28
    isopentanol 163.05
    n-heptane 5.62
    ethyl formate 93.66
    1,2-dichloroethane 34.08
    n-hexanol 67.12
    2-methoxyethanol 459.24
    isobutyl acetate 13.09
    tetrachloromethane 28.13
    n-pentyl acetate 25.83
    transcutol 280.03
    n-heptanol 53.04
    ethylbenzene 7.4
    MIBK 32.13
    2-propoxyethanol 116.23
    tert-butanol 270.68
    MTBE 72.51
    2-butoxyethanol 109.46
    propionic acid 245.8
    o-xylene 13.08
    formic acid 813.67
    diethyl ether 41.89
    m-xylene 8.81
    p-xylene 11.94
    chlorobenzene 13.18
    dimethyl carbonate 24.72
    n-octane 3.13
    formamide 734.13
    cyclopentanone 120.11
    2-pentanone 47.78
    anisole 28.36
    cyclopentyl methyl ether 46.63
    gamma-butyrolactone 144.97
    1-methoxy-2-propanol 231.36
    pyridine 57.12
    3-pentanone 32.57
    furfural 164.46
    n-dodecane 2.4
    diethylene glycol 174.21
    diisopropyl ether 11.93
    tert-amyl alcohol 239.36
    acetylacetone 46.93
    n-hexadecane 2.4
    acetophenone 31.21
    methyl propionate 47.15
    isopentyl acetate 18.03
    trichloroethylene 59.48
    n-nonanol 39.28
    cyclohexanol 104.32
    benzyl alcohol 55.28
    2-ethylhexanol 32.99
    isooctanol 41.33
    dipropyl ether 15.26
    1,2-dichlorobenzene 16.35
    ethyl lactate 31.46
    propylene carbonate 66.56
    n-methylformamide 326.67
    2-pentanol 105.65
    n-pentane 8.81
    1-propoxy-2-propanol 65.51
    1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate 24.3
    2-(2-methoxypropoxy) propanol 79.98
    mesitylene 7.42
    ε-caprolactone 83.78
    p-cymene 7.77
    epichlorohydrin 109.97
    1,1,1-trichloroethane 30.82
    2-aminoethanol 470.0
    morpholine-4-carbaldehyde 245.04
    sulfolane 162.51
    2,2,4-trimethylpentane 7.96
    2-methyltetrahydrofuran 101.59
    n-hexyl acetate 37.79
    isooctane 3.97
    2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol 112.45
    sec-butyl acetate 14.43
    tert-butyl acetate 29.45
    decalin 4.54
    glycerin 416.3
    diglyme 170.8
    acrylic acid 235.31
    isopropyl myristate 12.62
    n-butyric acid 194.14
    acetyl acetate 28.85
    di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate 23.48
    ethyl propionate 19.76
    nitromethane 347.88
    1,2-diethoxyethane 37.53
    benzonitrile 35.13
    trioctyl phosphate 15.97
    1-bromopropane 20.41
    gamma-valerolactone 189.43
    n-decanol 26.46
    triethyl phosphate 14.24
    4-methyl-2-pentanol 56.13
    propionitrile 68.98
    vinylene carbonate 64.84
    1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane 175.89
    DMS 23.5
    cumene 8.96
    2-octanol 32.89
    2-hexanone 30.19
    octyl acetate 19.39
    limonene 12.49
    1,2-dimethoxyethane 161.96
    ethyl orthosilicate 14.86
    tributyl phosphate 16.5
    diacetone alcohol 90.51
    N,N-dimethylaniline 30.45
    acrylonitrile 93.81
    aniline 44.72
    1,3-propanediol 441.28
    bromobenzene 8.06
    dibromomethane 36.25
    1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane 53.01
    2-methyl-cyclohexyl acetate 19.7
    tetrabutyl urea 23.17
    diisobutyl methanol 18.29
    2-phenylethanol 34.91
    styrene 7.93
    dioctyl adipate 22.04
    dimethyl sulfate 48.18
    ethyl butyrate 15.54
    methyl lactate 74.78
    butyl lactate 36.92
    diethyl carbonate 11.85
    propanediol butyl ether 118.55
    triethyl orthoformate 15.47
    p-tert-butyltoluene 7.86
    methyl 4-tert-butylbenzoate 43.21
    morpholine 199.43
    tert-butylamine 136.96
    n-dodecanol 18.22
    dimethoxymethane 93.93
    ethylene carbonate 49.68
    cyrene 81.15
    2-ethoxyethyl acetate 37.07
    2-ethylhexyl acetate 12.99
    1,2,4-trichlorobenzene 21.27
    4-methylpyridine 55.0
    dibutyl ether 20.38
    2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol 18.29
    DEF 91.79
    dimethyl isosorbide 78.69
    tetrachloroethylene 56.78
    eugenol 56.54
    triacetin 39.89
    span 80 70.15
    1,4-butanediol 188.85
    1,1-dichloroethane 31.4
    2-methyl-1-pentanol 104.4
    methyl formate 176.96
    2-methyl-1-butanol 178.97
    n-decane 4.02
    butyronitrile 78.42
    3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol 38.27
    1-chlorooctane 12.29
    1-chlorotetradecane 4.98
    n-nonane 4.02
    undecane 2.92
    tert-butylcyclohexane 5.5
    cyclooctane 2.9
    cyclopentanol 151.68
    tetrahydropyran 69.1
    tert-amyl methyl ether 60.45
    2,5,8-trioxanonane 125.62
    1-hexene 17.43
    2-isopropoxyethanol 115.04
    2,2,2-trifluoroethanol 272.65
    methyl butyrate 37.18

    Scent© AI

1 4

IFRA standard 51

Recommendation
No restriction
Maximum acceptable concentrations in the finished product (%)
Category 1
Products applied to the lips
 No restriction Category 7A
Rinse-off products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 2
Products applied to the axillae
 No restriction Category 7B
Leave-on products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 3
Products applied to the face/body using fingertips
 No restriction Category 8
Products with significant anogenital exposure
 No restriction
Category 4
Products related to fine fragrance
 No restriction Category 9
Products with body and hand exposure, primarily rinse off
 No restriction
Category 5A
Body lotion products applied to the body using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10A
Household care products with mostly hand contact
 No restriction
Category 5B
Face moisturizer products applied to the face using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10B
Household care products with mostly hand contact, including aerosol/spray products (with potential leave-on skin contact)
 No restriction
Category 5C
Hand cream products applied to the hands using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 11A
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate without UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 5D
Baby Creams, baby Oils and baby talc
 No restriction Category 11B
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate with potential UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 6
Products with oral and lip exposure
 No restriction Category 12
Products not intended for direct skin contact, minimal or insignificant transfer to skin
 No restriction

Botanical

Name CAS Botanical Proportion
Mandrake fruit (Israel) Mandragora officinarum L., fam. Solanaceae 0.34%
Osmanthus headspace (flowers) (China) 2 68917-05-5 Osmanthus fragrans (Thunb.) Lour., var. thunbergii Makino, fam. Oleaceae 2.3%
Osmanthus headspace (flowers) (China) 3 68917-05-5 Osmanthus fragrans (Thunb.) Lour., var. latifolius Makino, fam. Oleaceae 6.0%
Ylang Ylang (China) 2a 8006-81-5 Cananga odorata (Lamk.) Hook. f. et Thomson forma genuina, fam. Annonaceae 0.14%
Mimusops elengi flower headspace Mimusops elengi L., fam. Sapotaceae 0.88%
Fagraea berteriana flower Fagraea berteriana A. Gray ex Benth., fam. Potaliaceae 2.91%
Averrhoa bilimbi fruit (Malaysia) Averrhoa bilimbi L., fam. Oxalidaceae 0.1%
Bouea macrophylla fruit (Malaysia) Bouea macrophylla Grif. (B. gandaria Blume x Miq., fam. Anacardiaceae 0.22%
Zizyphus jujuba fruit (Malaysia) Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. inermis, fam. Rhamnaceae 5.69%
Ambarella fruit Spondias cytherea Sonnerat (Ambarella), fam. Anacardiaceae 0.12%
Tulip sylvestre Tulipa sylvestris L., fam. Liliaceae 0.46%
Tamarind 3 fruit Tamarindus indica L., fam. Leguminosae 0.1%
Cyphomandra betacea fruit Cyphomandra betacea Sendtn., fam. Solanaceae (tree tomato, tamarillo) 0.1%
Colocasia esculenta (Taro) Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, fam. Araceae 0.01%
Bacuri fruit (Brazil) Platonia insignis M., fam. Guttiferae 0.4%
Genipap fruit (Brazil) Genipa americana L., fam. Rubiaceae 0.1%
Guava fruit (Cuba) 91770-12-6 Psidium guajava L., fam. Myrtaceae 0.3%
Carob bean extract 1 9000-40-2 Ceratonia siliqua L., fam. Leguminoseae 0.1%
Carob bean powder 2a raw 9000-40-2 Ceratonia siliqua L., fam. Leguminoseae 0.1%
Carob bean powder 2b roasted 9000-40-2 Ceratonia siliqua L., fam. Leguminoseae 0.02%
Cordia nitida fruit Cordia nitida Vahl., fam. Borraginaceae 0.5%
Pineapple pulp Ananas comosus (L.) Merr., fam. Bromeliaceae 0.16%
Geneps fruit (Cuba) Melicocca bijuga L., fam. Sapindaceae 0.1%
Soursop, wild fruit Annona montana Macf., fam. Annonaceae 0.1%