Ethyl Diazoacetate
Ethyl Diazoacetate
the ethyl ester of diazocetic acid, N2CHCOOC2H5, a yellow liquid with a characteristic odor. Melting point, -24°C; boiling point, 143°C; density at 18°C, 1.0852 g/cm3; refraction n18p, 1.4588.
Ethyl diazoacetate is toxic; when heated, particularly if it contains impurities, it explodes. It is made by treating glycine ester hydrochloride, HCl.H2NCH2COOC2H5, with nitrous acid. The chemical properties of ethyl diazoacetate are analogous to those of diazomethane, but it is less reactive because there is a carboxyl group in the a position with respect to the diazo group.