4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol Chemical Properties

Melting point:

22-25 °C (lit.)

Boiling point:

259 °C (lit.)

Density 

1.113 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

vapor pressure 

0.24-0.53Pa at 25℃

FEMA 

2099 | ANISYL ALCOHOL

refractive index 

n20/D 1.544(lit.)

Flash point:

230 °F

storage temp. 

-20°C

solubility 

alcohol: freely soluble

form 

Liquid After Melting

pka

14.43±0.10(Predicted)

Specific Gravity

1.108

color 

Clear colorless to yellow

PH

6.3 (10g/l, H2O, 20℃)

Odor

at 100.00 %. sweet powdery hawthorn lilac rose floral hyacinth

Odor Type

powdery

explosive limit

0.9-7.3%(V)

Water Solubility 

insoluble

Merck 

14,665

JECFA Number

871

BRN 

636654

InChIKey

MSHFRERJPWKJFX-UHFFFAOYSA-N

LogP

-0.08-1.05 at 24-27℃

CAS DataBase Reference

105-13-5(CAS DataBase Reference)

NIST Chemistry Reference

Benzenemethanol, 4-methoxy-(105-13-5)

EPA Substance Registry System

4-Methoxybenzenemethanol (105-13-5)

Safety Information

Hazard Codes 

Xn,Xi

Risk Statements 

22-36/37/38-63-62-41-37/38-20/21/22

Safety Statements 

26-36-45-36/37/39

RIDADR 

UN1230 - class 3 - PG 2 - Methanol, solution

WGK Germany 

1

RTECS 

DO8925000

Hazard Note 

Irritant

TSCA 

Yes

HS Code 

29094990

Toxicity

LD50 orally in rats: 1.2 ml/kg (Woodart)

MSDS

• Language:English Provider:4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol
• Language:English Provider:SigmaAldrich
• Language:English Provider:ACROS
• Language:English Provider:ALFA

4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol Usage And Synthesis

Star anise oil

Star anise oil, also known as anise oil, appears as colorless transparent or light yellow liquid at above 20°C. When the temperature will drop, there will be sheet crystal precipitate with anise aroma and sweetness of the anethole. It is slightly soluble in water and easily soluble in ethanol, ether and chloroform. It belongs to Illicium Linn, magnoliaceae. The fruit is an aggregate fruit, being octagonal, therefore it is commonly known as star anise, also known as aniseed. Star anise oil is a kind of aromatic oil with complex composition, being volatile oil and a little sticky. Its color is gray for the best case while is yellow for slightly worse cases. It tastes sweet and tingling with a strong aroma of star anise. It is agitated at a temperature of 10 to 15 °C upon stirring. Its main ingredient is trans-anethole with a content of up to 80%. It also contains α-pinene, limonene, linalool, safrole, anisic aldehyde, anisone, 4-terpineol, artemisia capillaris, anisaldehyde and other ingredients. Anise oil is a kind of aromatic oil which is strongly technical and is not easy to identify using chemical equipment. The current producing area is still mainly through the buyer with the naked eye and nose smell to identify the quality of star anise.
Anise oil, in the spice industry, is mainly used to extract anethole brain and re-synthesis of anisaldehyde and anisol alcohol (p-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol). Some of the spices are widely used in toothpaste, food and soap and cosmetics fragrance. The fruit is commonly used in people's food seasoning spices. At the same time, the anise oil is the major raw material for the synthesis of negative hormone estrone in the pharmaceutical industry. As the octagonal oil is lighter than water, so it can be suspended in the water. The water obtained after oil and water separation contains anise oil after the anise oil returns to the distillation pot for re-distillation to improve the oil yield.

Content analysis

According to the Total Alcohol Assay (OT-5): the amount of acetylated alcohol used for saponification was 1.5 g. The equivalent factor (e) in the calculation is 69.09, or by gas chromatographic nonpolar column method in GT-10-4.

Toxicity

ADI 1 mg/kg (CE);
LD50 1200 mg/kg (rat, oral);

Usage limit

FEMA (mg/kg): soft drink 7.4; cold drink 8.0; candy 11; baked goods 12; pudding class 1.9.
Take moderate as limit (FDA § 172.515, 2000).

Chemical properties

It appears as colorless to slightly yellow liquid or opaque crystals with the relative density of 1.110-1.120, refractive index of 1.543-1.545, the boiling point of about 258-259 °C, freezing point> 23.5 °C, the flash point of 100 °C above and insoluble in water. It is soluble in the same volume of 50% alcohol with an acidity value of 1.0.
It mainly has fennel aroma with a slight cream fragrance and fragrant background. Aromatic odor is mild and can stay long.

Uses

1. 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol mainly used in floral flavor with fragrance flavor, such as hawthorn flowers, jasmine, acacia, shy flowers, acacia, lilac, lily of the valley, violet, magnolia, sunflower, daffodils and so on. It can also be used for the need for chypre spices with vanilla flavor to coordinate the aroma and increase the aroma of beans. It can also be used for chocolate, cocoa and fresh fruit flavor.
2. GB 2760-1996 provides as allowable food flavors. It is mainly used for the preparation of vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, almonds, peaches and other flavor.
3. It is used for the preparation of drugs and spices.
4. It is used as pharmaceutical intermediates.
5. 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol has a slightly sweet aroma of anise, commonly used in the preparation of jasmine, lilac and other flavors, suitable for deployment of perfume. The goods are allowable food spices provided in China's GB2760-86. It is mainly used to formulate the flavor of vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, almonds and peaches. It can also be used in organic synthesis and as a solvent.
6. It is used as moxonidine intermediates.
7. It is alcohol synthesis spices. It is mainly used as the blending spices of jasmine, cloves, fragrant peas, gardenia and other flavors for perfume and other cosmetics.
8. It can provide the temporary protection for the carbohydrate anti-OH-group.

Production method

It is obtained through the anisaldehyde reduction. The anise, formaldehyde and sodium hydroxide are subject to Cannizzaro reaction in the ethanol to generate p-methoxybenzyl alcohol. After distilling to recycle the ethanol, the resulting oil layer is extracted with benzene, acidified with acetic acid, neutralized by sodium hydrogencarbonate to a weak basicity, washed with water to neutral, then distillation to recover benzene with the residue subjecting to distillation under reduced pressure to obtain p-methoxy Benzyl alcohol.
In methanol solution, apply potassium hydroxide solution for treatment of the mixture of anisaldehyde and formaldehyde, getting mixture of anole alcohol and formic acid. Apply benzene extraction and then purify through distillation.
Use platinum as a catalyst and ferrous chloride as a reductant, obtain it through anisidine hydrogenation.

Chemical Properties

Anise Alcohol occurs in vanilla pods and in anise seeds. It is a colorless liquid with a sweet, floral, slightly balsamic odor.
Insoluble in water, poorly soluble in Propylene glycol and Glycerin soluble in alcohol and oils.

Chemical Properties

CLEAR COLOURLESS TO YELLOWISH LIQUID AFTER MELTING

Chemical Properties

Anisyl alcohol has a floral odor with sweet, fruity (peach) taste.

Occurrence

Reported found in anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), honey, Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews), Tahiti vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis Moore), Illicium verum and tomato.

Uses

4-Methoxybenzyl Alcohol is used in the preparation of semiconductors, nanosheets and nanocrystals. Also is used as a reagent for various chemical organic reactions such as in the synthesis of quinolines. It is used as a fragrance and flavorant. It is used to study the photo catalytic oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to p-anisaldehyde.

Uses

4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol was used to study the photocatalytic oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to p-anisaldehyde.

Definition

ChEBI: 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol is a member of benzyl alcohols.

Preparation

By reduction from anisic aldehyde

Taste threshold values

Taste characteristics at 10 ppm: spice, anise, vanilla, balsamic and powdery

Synthesis Reference(s)

Synthetic Communications, 18, p. 613, 1988 DOI: 10.1080/00397918808064019
Tetrahedron Letters, 32, p. 3243, 1991 DOI: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)79734-6

General Description

Anisyl alcohol is a volatile aromatic compound mainly found in vanilla extracts and anise oil. It is used as a flavoring agent and fragrance ingredient.

Hazard

Extremely toxic.

Contact allergens

As a fragrance allergen, anisyl alcohol has to be mentioned by name in cosmetics within the EU.

Safety Profile

Moderately toxic by ingestion. A skin irritant. Combustible liquid. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. See also ALCOHOLS.

4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol(105-13-5)Related Product Information

• 2-Isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide
• (Trifluoromethoxy)benzene
• Phenethyl alcohol
• Anise oil
• 4-Methoxybenzylamine
• Ethyl acetate
• Anisole
• 4-Methoxybenzylchloride
• 4-Nitrobenzyl alcohol
• Benzyl alcohol
• p-Anisidine
• 4-Methoxybenzoic acid
• 4'-Methoxyacetophenone
• 4-Methoxybenzyl cyanide
• Methoxypropiophenone
• 4-Formylbenzoic acid
• 4-Methoxyphenethylamine
• 4-Methoxybenzoyl chloride