This flammable, colorless liquid has a characteristic sweet smell (similar to pear drops) and is used in glues, nail polish removers, and the decaffeination process of tea and coffee.

This mixture converts to the ester in about 65% yield at room temperature: The reaction can be accelerated by acid catalysis and the equilibrium can be shifted to the right by removal of water.

Because it is not hygroscopic, ethyl acetate also keeps the insect soft enough to allow proper mounting suitable for a collection.

[13] Ethyl acetate is rarely selected as a reaction solvent because it is prone to hydrolysis, transesterification, and condensations.

Ethyl acetate is only weakly Lewis basic, like a typical carboxylic acid ester.

In the laboratory, and usually for illustrative purposes only, ethyl esters are typically hydrolyzed in a two-step process starting with a stoichiometric amount of a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide.

The enthalpy of vaporization in kJ/mol is calculated according to the empirical equation by Majer and Svoboda[15] where The following table summarizes the most important thermodynamic properties of ethyl acetate under various conditions.

[25] Humans exposed to a concentration of 400 ppm in 1.4 mg/L ethyl acetate for a short time were affected by nose and throat irritation.

Animal experiments have shown that, at very high concentrations, the ester has central nervous system depressant and lethal effects; at concentrations of 20,000 to 43,000 ppm (2.0–4.3%), there may be pulmonary edema with hemorrhages, symptoms of central nervous system depression, secondary anemia and liver damage.