Products
Products
Products
| HS Code | 866121 |
| Chemical Formula | C3H4O3 |
| Molecular Weight | 88.06 g/mol |
| Cas Number | 96-49-1 |
| Appearance | White crystalline solid |
| Melting Point | 36.5 °C |
| Boiling Point | 248 °C |
| Density | 1.321 g/cm³ at 20 °C |
| Solubility In Water | Soluble |
| Flash Point | 143 °C |
| Refractive Index | 1.4148 at 50 °C |
| Viscosity | 1.90 cP at 40 °C |
| Dielectric Constant | 89.6 at 40 °C |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.01 mmHg at 20 °C |
As an accredited Ethylene Carbonate factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Ethylene Carbonate, 25 kg net, packed in multi-layer paper bags with PE inner liner, sealed and labeled. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Ethylene Carbonate is loaded into a 20-foot FCL container with secure bracing, proper packaging, and ventilation to ensure safe transport. |
| Shipping | Ethylene carbonate is a white crystalline solid, shipped in sealed polyethylene-lined bags, fiber drums, or heated ISO tanks when molten. Keep dry, cool, and away from strong oxidizers. Non-hazardous under normal transport conditions; avoid dust inhalation and eye contact. Standard, sturdy industrial packaging prevents contamination and moisture ingress. |
| Storage | Store ethylene carbonate in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat, sparks, and open flames. Keep containers tightly sealed to prevent moisture absorption and hydrolysis. Avoid contact with strong oxidizers, acids, and bases. Maintain temperature below 30°C to prevent melting, and ensure proper labeling and segregation from incompatible materials. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 24 months when stored tightly sealed in a cool, dry area, protected from moisture and heat. |
Ethylene carbonate is blended as the high-permittivity cyclic carbonate component in lithium-ion cell electrolytes because its dielectric constant of approximately 89.6 at 40 °C promotes lithium hexafluorophosphate dissociation, while its melting point of 36.4 °C restricts neat use at ambient temperature. Production-scale electrolyte compounding is executed in jacketed 316L stainless steel vessels equipped with planetary agitators under dry-air supply at a dew point no higher than -40 °C; inline Karl Fischer analysis maintains water content below 20 ppm to suppress hydrolysis of LiPF₆ to HF. Typical electrolyte formulations use 30–50 wt% ethylene carbonate in mixtures with dimethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, or diethyl carbonate; the resulting kinematic viscosity at 25 °C, measured per ASTM D445, typically falls within 2.5–4.0 mm²/s depending on linear carbonate selection, while ionic conductivity ranges from 7.5 mS/cm to 10.8 mS/cm in formation-ready solutions. Filtration through 0.2 µm PTFE or polypropylene media is performed before filling to remove insoluble residues and reduce micro-short circuit risk. During the first charging cycle, ethylene carbonate undergoes reductive decomposition at approximately 0.8 V versus Li/Li⁺ on graphite, producing lithium ethylene dicarbonate, lithium carbonate, and lithium fluoride; this deposit forms the solid electrolyte interphase that prevents co-intercalation of solvent ions and graphite exfoliation. The formation step is typically conducted at 0.05C–0.1C constant current followed by constant-voltage hold at 3.6–3.8 V per cell, with gas evolution and impedance response monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Additives such as vinylene carbonate at 1–3 wt% or fluoroethylene carbonate at 2–5 wt% are introduced to modify interphase chemistry and improve Coulombic efficiency beyond 99% after formation. Operational boundaries are explicit: ethylene carbonate cannot be used as a single solvent at room temperature because of its solid state; residual water above 20 ppm accelerates LiPF₆ decomposition and generates HF, which corrodes the cathode current collector; and storage of electrolyte premixes requires sealed vessels under nitrogen to limit moisture and oxygen ingress.
| Application | Standard designation | Test method or clause | Measured parameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion cell electrolyte | IEC 62133-2:2017 | Clause 7.3.2 | Electrical abuse and thermal cycling |
| Lithium-ion cell electrolyte | UL 1642 | Short-circuit and abnormal charge tests | Fire and explosion resistance |
| Lithium-ion battery transport | UN 38.3 | T1–T5 | Altitude, thermal cycling, vibration, shock |
| Electrolyte viscosity | ASTM D445 | Capillary viscometer method | Kinematic viscosity at 25 °C |
| EV lithium-ion performance | IEC 62660-1:2018 | Cycle life test | Capacity retention and internal resistance |
In the transesterification of ethylene carbonate with methanol, the reaction is operated under a molar excess of methanol between 4:1 and 6:1 over a sodium methoxide catalyst at 60–80 °C to shift the equilibrium toward dimethyl carbonate and monoethylene glycol. The reaction is carried out in a reactive distillation column with structured packing, where the dimethyl carbonate–methanol azeotrope is drawn overhead and subjected to pressure-swing distillation; the bottom product contains monoethylene glycol, unreacted ethylene carbonate, and catalyst residue. Single-pass ethylene carbonate conversion is equilibrium-limited, and published engineering data indicate that continuous removal of the azeotrope is required to achieve overall conversion above 95%. The monoethylene glycol stream is neutralized, evaporated, and distilled under reduced pressure to meet fiber-grade specifications; typical acceptance criteria include UV transmittance at 220 nm, 275 nm, and 350 nm per ASTM E2193, with values not lower than 90%, 95%, and 99% respectively. Water ingress below 0.05 wt% in the feed is required because water hydrolyzes ethylene carbonate to monoethylene glycol and carbon dioxide, reducing dimethyl carbonate yield and complicating downstream solvent recovery. The dimethyl carbonate product is dried and purified to carbonate-grade specifications; purity is confirmed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection using calibrated internal standards, though published data for a specific dimethyl carbonate purity method under ASTM is limited. The primary operational bottleneck is the separation of the dimethyl carbonate–methanol azeotrope; extractive distillation or dual-pressure rectification is employed to avoid excessive reflux ratios and energy consumption. Batch-to-batch variability in catalyst activity and trace moisture are controlled by in-line pH measurement and Karl Fischer titration on the feed stream.
Ethylene carbonate functions as a β-hydroxyethylating reagent in the preparation of hydroxyethyl esters, carbamates, and thioethers from carboxylic acids, amines, and thiols. The reaction between ethylene carbonate and a carboxylic acid is conducted in a glass-lined reactor at 120–150 °C in the presence of a tertiary amine or quaternary ammonium catalyst at 0.5–2 mol%; carbon dioxide is released and must be continuously removed under nitrogen sweep or vacuum to drive conversion. Selectivity to the β-hydroxyethyl ester above 95% is reported when the reaction headspace is kept free of carbon dioxide; accumulation of CO₂ depresses the observed rate and promotes formation of dialkyl carbonate and ether side products. For amine substrates, the exotherm is controlled by staged addition of ethylene carbonate and jacket cooling below 60 °C to prevent uncontrolled ring-opening polymerization of ethylene carbonate and formation of oligomeric carbamates. The reaction endpoint is monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography using pharmacopoeial general chapter USP <621> as the system suitability reference; residual ethylene carbonate is minimized below 0.1 wt% because of downstream toxicological classification. Water content in raw materials must be held below 0.1 wt% because hydrolysis converts ethylene carbonate to ethylene glycol and carbon dioxide, reducing yield and generating a diol impurity that can participate in downstream coupling reactions. Protic solvents are avoided as reaction media because they compete with the substrate for ring-opening and cause uncontrolled carbonate decomposition. The purification sequence typically includes vacuum distillation or wiped-film evaporation to separate the hydroxyethyl product from high-boiling oligomeric by-products; glass-lined equipment is specified because trace acidic impurities can catalyze ethylene carbonate polymerization to polycarbonate oligomers.
Electric double-layer capacitor electrolyte compounding uses ethylene carbonate as a dielectric-enhancing co-solvent at addition levels of 10–30 vol% with propylene carbonate or acetonitrile to improve dissociation of tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate or spirocyclic quaternary ammonium salts. The electrolyte is prepared in a dry-room equipped with molecular sieve traps and vacuum degassing, and moisture is held below 30 ppm to avoid hydrolysis of the carbonate solvents and pressure buildup in sealed cells. At 25 °C, the addition of ethylene carbonate raises bulk viscosity and narrows the accessible temperature window; low-temperature capacitance retention at -30 °C may fall to 60–70% of the room-temperature value when ethylene carbonate content exceeds 20 vol%, as reported in electrode-level testing per IEC 62391-1:2022 for fixed capacitance and internal resistance. Cells are filled under vacuum, aged at 60 °C for 48 h, and then tested for equivalent series resistance at 1 kHz. The upper rated voltage for propylene carbonate–ethylene carbonate blends is typically 2.5–2.7 V, while acetonitrile-free formulations may operate to 3.0 V if ionic liquids or fluorinated additives are incorporated. The principal failure mode observed on production lines is gas evolution from trace water and carbonate electrolysis, detected as increased capacitance fade and ESR drift during float tests at 60 °C. Electrolyte blend specification includes a Karl Fischer water limit, gas chromatography purity, and density measurement per ASTM D4052 at 25 °C. Published data on long-term cycling beyond 5,000 h in high-voltage acetonitrile-free systems remains limited, and cell manufacturers therefore require in-house validation under maximum rated voltage and upper operating temperature.
Sodium silicate bonded sand systems incorporate ethylene carbonate as a liquid carbonate ester hardener in continuous mixers at addition levels of 0.3–0.6 wt% based on sand mass, with the sodium silicate binder added separately at 2.5–4.0 wt% on sand. The hardener hydrolyzes in the alkaline silicate film, releasing carbon dioxide and ethylene glycol; the gradual pH reduction initiates gelation of the silicate network and allows the mixed sand to be compacted into core boxes or patterns before the strip time. Bench life and strip time are controlled by hardener dosage, sand temperature, and the AFS grain fineness number of the silica sand, which is typically 50–65. Published foundry technical bulletins indicate that bench life shortens from approximately 40 min at 15 °C to below 15 min at 35 °C for a fixed hardener level; therefore, sand temperature control is required to maintain consistent production rhythm. Tensile strength development is followed by AFS test specimens, and the hardened molds are poured after 60–120 min to allow sufficient strength for metal casting. The operational boundary is the sensitivity to ambient moisture and carbon dioxide, which can prematurely gel the silicate binder during storage and mixer transfer; sealed sand silos and short transfer distances are required. Additional limitation is the reactivity of ethylene carbonate with free water in the sand; moisture content above 0.2 wt% decreases bench life and reduces final tensile strength. The selection of ethylene carbonate as a hardener is driven by its relatively low vapour pressure compared with methyl formate and its lower odour profile in foundry environments, but published data on occupational exposure limits for ethylene carbonate in foundry air are limited.
Competitive Ethylene Carbonate prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
For samples, pricing, or more information, please contact us at +8615365186327 or mail to sales3@ascent-chem.com.
We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Tel: +8615365186327
Email: sales3@ascent-chem.com
Flexible payment, competitive price, premium service - Inquire now!
Ethylene carbonate (1,3-dioxolan-2-one; CAS 96-49-1; C3H4O3; relative molecular mass 88.06 g/mol) is a five-membered cyclic carbonate ester supplied as a colourless crystalline solid or low-melting liquid. The compound solidifies below approximately 36.4 °C, boils at 248 °C at 101.3 kPa, and has a density of 1.321 g/cm³ at 40 °C. Commercial differentiation rests on purity, residual water, acidity, and alkali-metal contamination rather than on alphanumeric model codes; typical designations are industrial grade, electrolyte grade, and high-purity battery grade. Industrial-grade ethylene carbonate commonly specifies GC purity ≥ 99.5%, water ≤ 100 ppm, and Pt-Co colour ≤ 20. Battery-grade material is normally controlled at GC purity ≥ 99.95%, water ≤ 20 ppm, acidity ≤ 50 ppm expressed as HF, and Pt-Co colour ≤ 10. The product is handled as a liquid in heated stainless steel equipment because solidification at ambient temperature creates blockages in unheated pumps, sight glasses, and transfer lines.
Table 1 lists typical specification bands that differentiate industrial and battery-grade ethylene carbonate.
| Property | Test method | Industrial grade | Battery grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity (GC-FID) | internal GC-FID | ≥ 99.5% | ≥ 99.95% |
| Water | ASTM D6304-20 | ≤ 100 ppm | ≤ 20 ppm |
| Acidity as HF | potentiometric acid-base titration | ≤ 100 ppm | ≤ 50 ppm |
| Pt-Co colour | ASTM D1209-14 | ≤ 20 | ≤ 10 |
| Density at 40 °C | ASTM D4052-22 | 1.320–1.322 g/cm³ | 1.320–1.322 g/cm³ |
| Freezing point | DSC onset | 35.5–36.5 °C | 35.8–36.4 °C |
Residual water and acidity in ethylene carbonate are not merely purity metrics; they establish the operational lifetime of LiPF6-based electrolytes. Under elevated-temperature storage or cycling, LiPF6 hydrolyses to release HF and POF3. For a carbonate electrolyte containing 1 M LiPF6, water above 20 ppm in the raw solvent shifts the equilibrium toward acidic decomposition products, raises cell internal resistance, and accelerates transition-metal dissolution at the cathode. Electrolyte blending therefore uses heated jacketed vessels maintained at 40–45 °C to keep ethylene carbonate molten without thermally stressing the co-solvent. Transfer lines are purged with nitrogen having a dew point below -60 °C. In production-scale mixing, sequential addition of ethylene carbonate to linear carbonates such as dimethyl carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate is controlled to avoid local viscosity stratification; ethylene carbonate has a dynamic viscosity of 1.92 mPa·s at 40 °C, whereas dimethyl carbonate is approximately 0.59 mPa·s at 25 °C. Recirculation through a static mixer with 10–15 elements is a standard line configuration for homogenising the blend. The relative permittivity of ethylene carbonate is approximately 89.78 at 40 °C, which supports ion-pair dissociation of LiPF6; however, this benefit is lost if free acid rises above the incoming limit of ≤ 50 ppm. Electrolyte plants routinely reject tank deliveries exceeding specification because subsequent rinsing and molecular-sieve drying are cost-prohibitive.
During formation cycling, ethylene carbonate participates in reductive decomposition at the graphite anode to produce lithium ethylene dicarbonate and related oligomeric species. The resulting solid electrolyte interphase suppresses further solvent co-intercalation and exfoliation of the graphite. Variation of ethylene carbonate content across 20–40 wt% in the mixed carbonate solvent changes solid electrolyte interphase thickness and low-temperature behaviour; too high an ethylene carbonate fraction raises bulk viscosity and depresses cold-crank performance. Industrial electrolyte formulators balance ethylene carbonate against linear carbonates by electrochemical cycling in 2032 coin cells and full pouch cells under test protocols derived from IEC 62660-1 and IEC 61960-3. The processing window is narrow: if ethylene carbonate is molten at 38 °C but blend temperature exceeds 60 °C, thermally sensitive LiPF6 salt can begin to degrade during filling; jacketed reactors must therefore maintain temperature control of ± 3 °C. Published data for the exact correlation between ethylene carbonate free acid and solid electrolyte interphase impedance are limited, but battery-cell incoming inspection limits are commonly set at water ≤ 20 ppm and acidity as HF ≤ 50 ppm.
Battery-grade ethylene carbonate is produced from ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide via a catalysed insertion route with high atom economy. Crude ethylene carbonate is subsequently purified by fractional melt crystallisation or vacuum distillation in stainless steel columns. In melt crystallisation, the solid fraction is separated from a mother liquor enriched in water, ethylene glycol, and catalytically derived oligomeric impurities. Residual sodium and chloride must be controlled because alkali metals and halides poison the graphite anode and raise self-discharge. Some supplier specifications include sodium ≤ 2 ppm, chloride ≤ 1 ppm, and total non-volatile residue ≤ 10 ppm. Simple vacuum distillation removes volatile residues but does not reliably separate all ionic species from fresh melt; melt crystallisation is therefore preferred for the final purification of battery-grade material. The refined product is flaked or handled as a molten liquid in nitrogen-blanketed ISO tank containers with internal heating coils set to 40–45 °C. Operators report that solidification at valves and unheated pumps is a recurring bottleneck when ambient temperature falls below 35 °C; steam tracing or self-limiting electric heat tracing is therefore used on all transfer paths. Published data on batch-to-batch variability in commercial ethylene carbonate are limited, but incoming inspection at electrolyte plants uses Karl Fischer coulometry under ASTM D6304-20 and ion chromatography for anionic impurities. A failed water measurement triggers quarantine of the receiving vessel, drying with molecular sieves of 3 Å pore size, and recirculation for 8–12 h until water is below 15 ppm; however, drying can introduce sieve fines that must be removed by 0.2 µm filtration.
Ethylene carbonate serves as a phosgene-free intermediate for dimethyl carbonate and ethylene glycol by transesterification with methanol. The reaction is equilibrium-limited and is conducted at 60–80 °C under mild pressure using basic catalysts; methanol/dimethyl carbonate azeotrope formation at approximately 63.5 °C at 101.3 kPa complicates separation and normally requires pressure swing distillation or extractive distillation. In polycarbonate melt processing, residual ethylene carbonate above the copolymerisation feed limit can introduce carbonate end groups that alter melt viscosity; therefore, ethylene carbonate used for polycarbonate precursor synthesis is assayed for total carbonyl content and water before reaction with bisphenol A. Published data for this specific configuration are limited.
Ethylene carbonate is also used as a high-boiling polar solvent and plasticizer in selected polymer systems; ambient solidification requires heated compounding equipment and limits use in room-temperature formulations.
| Property | Ethylene carbonate | Propylene carbonate | Dimethyl carbonate | Diethyl carbonate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relative permittivity | 89.78 at 40 °C | 64.92 at 25 °C | 3.12 at 25 °C | 2.82 at 25 °C |
| Melting point | 36.4 °C | -48.8 °C | 4.6 °C | -74.3 °C |
| Boiling point at 101.3 kPa | 248 °C | 242 °C | 90 °C | 126 °C |
| Dynamic viscosity | 1.92 mPa·s at 40 °C | 2.53 mPa·s at 25 °C | 0.59 mPa·s at 25 °C | 0.75 mPa·s at 25 °C |
| Flash point | 143 °C | 132 °C | 18 °C | 31 °C |
The principal difference from propylene carbonate is that ethylene carbonate has a higher relative permittivity but a melting point near room temperature, requiring heated storage and transfer. Linear carbonates such as dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate offer much lower viscosity but substantially lower dielectric constants; they are therefore used as viscosity diluents in lithium-ion electrolyte formulations. Ethylene carbonate is preferred for anode film formation because it is reduced at the graphite surface to form an insoluble solid electrolyte interphase, whereas propylene carbonate tends to co-intercalate into graphite and exfoliate the anode in the absence of an effective additive package. In industrial cleaning or extraction applications, the high flash point of ethylene carbonate permits handling at higher temperature than dimethyl carbonate, but the solidification threshold imposes heat tracing on all transfer lines.
When ethylene carbonate replaces propylene carbonate in an electrolyte intended for graphite anodes, the formulation must be re-evaluated for low-temperature viscosity, wetting behaviour, and solid electrolyte interphase formation. Propylene carbonate remains liquid at depot temperatures down to -48.8 °C, while ethylene carbonate solidifies at 36.4 °C and must be blended with linear carbonates to depress the mixture freezing point. A typical electrolyte formula containing 30 wt% ethylene carbonate plus linear carbonates can remain liquid below -20 °C, but the exact solidification point depends on the lithium salt concentration and co-solvent ratio. The replacement also raises the relative permittivity and increases lithium-ion transference, but it may reduce separator wetting speed because the blended viscosity rises. In production, electrolyte filling lines using propylene carbonate-based formulations cannot be switched directly to ethylene carbonate-based formulations without recalculating degassing time, line pressure drop, and wetting stand time. For wound pouch cells, incomplete wetting across the separator is detected as elevated initial impedance during formation cycling under protocols derived from IEC 62660-1. Published data for the exact wetting time difference between propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate formulations in high-speed filling are limited; production lines therefore qualify each new solvent composition by capillary rise and open-circuit voltage drift tests.
Storage and handling limits are set by the freezing point and hygroscopicity. Bulk storage should use stainless steel or epoxy-lined carbon steel with nitrogen blanketing and pressure/vacuum vents. If relative humidity exceeds 60%, ethylene carbonate flake should be pre-dried or transferred under dry air to avoid water uptake above the 20 ppm lithium-battery limit. Ethylene carbonate should not be mixed with strong oxidisers, strong acids, or primary amines at elevated temperature because base-catalysed ring-opening and decarboxylation may release carbon dioxide and form polyglycol oligomers; this incompatibility is relevant in formulations containing amine-cured epoxy resins. REACH registration under EC 1907/2006 covers the monomer as an intermediate and non-isolated intermediate under strictly controlled conditions. The product is not intended for food-contact use unless a specific packaging grade is validated under FDA 21 CFR 175.300 or equivalent national food-contact legislation.
