Acylating Reagent · Carbamates · Peptide Coupling
Ethyl chloroformate (ECF), the reagent chemists use to build carbamates, carbonates and mixed anhydrides for APIs and crop-protection actives. Sourced and supplied by Chelora Pharmachem, Mumbai, and delivered across India with a batch COA and SDS.
How Buying Works
Send the quantity, grade (synthesis, technical or derivatisation), packing, delivery city and target date. Quote CAS 541-41-3 so there is no confusion.
Price, lead time and packing in one reply, with the specification, COA and SDS/MSDS for your QA team to review.
Samples can be arranged for QC testing, process trials and vendor qualification before your commercial order.
Packed, labelled and sent with invoice, batch COA and transport documents. Repeat orders are planned with you.
Product Overview
Ethyl Chloroformate (ECF, ethyl chlorocarbonate, chloroformic acid ethyl ester; CAS 541-41-3) is the ethyl ester of chloroformic acid, C2H5O–CO–Cl. It is a clear, colourless, fuming liquid with a sharp, acrid odour that boils at about 93–95 °C. Its acid-chloride carbon reacts readily with amines, alcohols and carboxylates, which makes it one of the most widely used ways to put an ethoxycarbonyl group onto a molecule in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and fine-chemical synthesis, from the research bench to commercial plant campaigns.
Ethyl chloroformate turns amines into ethyl carbamates (urethanes), alcohols into carbonates and carboxylic acids into mixed anhydrides that couple with amines to give amides and peptides. That chemistry is used for API intermediates, semi-synthetic penicillin side chains, carbamate insecticides and protecting groups. In the analytical lab, ECF derivatises amino acids, organic acids and amines in aqueous samples so they can be measured by gas chromatography (GC and GC-MS). Because it is cheap, reactive and easy to remove after use, it remains a standard reagent in Indian API plants.
As a chemical supplier in Mumbai, Chelora Pharmachem supplies ethyl chloroformate to API, intermediate, agrochemical and research buyers across India, with a batch-wise COA, SDS/MSDS and specification, packed in suitable sealed containers and shipped as a toxic, flammable and corrosive dangerous good under UN 1182. Our team can advise on pack sizes, lead times and the transport documents your stores and EHS teams need. We also supply Chloroacetyl Chloride, another reactive acid chloride used to build API intermediates.
In Depth
Ethyl chloroformate is the simplest practical ester of chloroformic acid: a carbonyl carbon bonded to a chlorine atom and an ethoxy group. It behaves like a reactive acid chloride, but the ethoxy oxygen makes the products carbamates and carbonates rather than amides or esters. It fumes in moist air and slowly hydrolyses to ethanol, carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.
Amines give ethyl carbamates, alcohols and phenols give mixed ethyl carbonates, and carboxylate salts give mixed carbonic–carboxylic anhydrides that acylate amines to amides and peptides. With some tertiary N-methyl amines it removes the methyl group and leaves an ethyl carbamate. A base such as triethylamine or N-methylmorpholine is normally used to take up the HCl formed.
Commercial ethyl chloroformate is made by reacting phosgene with anhydrous ethanol. Hydrogen chloride is released as a by-product and removed, and the crude ester is purified by distillation. Because the route uses phosgene, production is limited to specialised plants with closed handling systems, and buyers check residual phosgene, acidity and ethanol-derived impurities such as diethyl carbonate.
In API plants, ECF is a workhorse reagent rather than a starting material. It forms mixed anhydrides of Dane salts in some semi-synthetic penicillin processes, installs the ethyl carbamate group found in molecules such as loratadine, and protects or activates amines and acids during multistep routes. Purity, acidity and moisture affect yield, so consistent quality matters batch to batch.
Confirm the grade and pack size first, then compare GC purity, appearance and colour, free acidity as HCl, residual phosgene, ethanol and diethyl carbonate, density and refractive index. Ask how the containers are lined and sealed, since moisture causes hydrolysis and pressure build-up. Always request the COA and SDS of the actual batch before dispatch.
Chelora Pharmachem supplies ethyl chloroformate (CAS 541-41-3) from its centralized sales office in Mumbai to API, intermediate, agrochemical and analytical buyers across India. Share the grade, quantity, packing and delivery location, and our team replies with price, lead time, dangerous-goods transport arrangements and documents, from small trial lots for process development to regular supply for commercial campaigns.
Global Sourcing
Our focus is the Indian market. When local supply is short, or you need a specific origin, grade or pack size, our international sourcing desk brings ethyl chloroformate in from trusted producers abroad, and our Mumbai team handles import, dangerous-goods documents and delivery to your plant.
Product Profile
The identifiers and properties purchase and QA teams ask for first. Batch values are always confirmed on the COA.
Identity
EC 208-778-5. Also sold as ECF, ethyl chlorocarbonate or chloroformic acid ethyl ester.
A carbonyl carbon carrying –Cl and an ethoxy (–OC₂H₅) group.
Appearance
Clear, colourless to pale yellow, fuming liquid with a sharp, acrid odour. Flash point about 16 °C.
Solubility
Hydrolyses to ethanol, CO₂ and HCl. Miscible with ether, chloroform and benzene.
Technical Data
Reference data for Ethyl Chloroformate, useful when writing a specification, checking an SDS or planning storage and transport.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name | Ethyl carbonochloridate |
| Synonyms | Ethyl chloroformate, ECF, ethyl chlorocarbonate, chloroformic acid ethyl ester, ethoxycarbonyl chloride |
| CAS number | 541-41-3 |
| EC number | 208-778-5 |
| PubChem CID | 10928 |
| Molecular formula | C3H5ClO2 (C2H5OCOCl) |
| Molar mass | 108.52 g/mol |
| Appearance | Clear, colourless to pale yellow liquid that fumes in moist air; sharp, acrid odour like hydrochloric acid |
| Melting point | About −81 °C (freezing point) |
| Boiling point | About 93–95 °C |
| Density | About 1.135–1.14 g/cm³ at 20–25 °C |
| Refractive index | About 1.395 (nD at 20 °C) |
| Flash point | About 16 °C (closed cup); highly flammable |
| Vapour pressure | About 54 hPa at 20 °C; vapour about 3.7 times heavier than air |
| Solubility in water | Not miscible; decomposes (hydrolyses) to ethanol, carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride |
| Other solvents | Miscible with ether, chloroform and benzene; reacts with alcohols and amines |
| HS code | 2915.90 (generally cited; confirm the national tariff line) |
| Transport | UN 1182, Ethyl chloroformate, Class 6.1 with subsidiary hazards 3 and 8, Packing Group I |
Literature values for reference. Supplied material is tested batch-wise and reported on the COA.
Applications
ECF is a reagent, not an ingredient: it builds carbamates, carbonates and amide bonds in API and agrochemical routes, and makes polar analytes ready for GC.
With a carboxylate and a tertiary amine, ethyl chloroformate forms a mixed carbonic–carboxylic anhydride that acylates amines to amides and peptides. The same mixed-anhydride chemistry is used with Dane salts in some semi-synthetic penicillin side-chain processes.
Coupling reagent
ECF installs ethyl carbamate groups and converts some N-methyl amines into carbamates, a step used in routes to antihistamines such as loratadine. It also activates acids and amines in multistep syntheses of intermediates for API manufacturers, from pilot batches to commercial campaigns.
API building block
Ethyl carbamate groups in crop-protection actives are often made by reacting an amine with ethyl chloroformate. Fenoxycarb, an insect growth regulator, is one example, and ECF is used more widely as an intermediate for herbicides and insecticides.
Crop protection
The ethoxycarbonyl group protects amines and phenols during synthesis and can be removed later. ECF also gives mixed ethyl carbonates and heterocycles, and is used by fine-chemical and research labs that need a reliable, low-cost chloroformate.
Synthesis reagent
In aqueous ethanol with pyridine, ethyl chloroformate rapidly converts amino acids, organic acids and amines into volatile derivatives for GC and GC-MS. Labs use it for metabolite profiling and food, clinical and biological analysis because it works directly in water.
Analytical reagent
Quality & Compliance
Every supply is backed by the documents your QA, regulatory and stores teams expect.
COA, batch-wise
Tests, limits and results for the exact batch you receive, shared before dispatch.
SDS / MSDS
Hazards, safe handling, storage, transport and first-aid measures for Ethyl Chloroformate.
Technical data
Typical properties and the specification we supply against, to match with your in-house spec.
On request
Additional documents for vendor approval and audits can be arranged on request.
Safety & Handling
A short summary for stores, production and EHS teams. It does not replace the Safety Data Sheet supplied with every batch.
Highly flammable liquid and vapour, fatal if inhaled, harmful if swallowed, causes severe skin burns and eye damage, and may be corrosive to metals. Signal word: Danger. Some SDSs classify it as toxic if swallowed. Check the SDS of the batch for the classification that applies.
H225H290H302H314H330
Handle only in closed systems or under efficient local exhaust. Wear chemical goggles with a face shield, chemical-resistant gloves and protective clothing, and use suitable respiratory protection where vapour can escape. Keep an emergency shower and eyewash close by.
Store locked up in a cool, dry, well-ventilated flammables store, in tightly closed original containers, away from heat, sparks, water, alcohols, amines, bases, oxidisers and corrodible metals. Many suppliers recommend refrigerated storage under dry inert gas.
Regulated as UN 1182, Ethyl chloroformate, Class 6.1 (toxic) with subsidiary hazards 3 (flammable) and 8 (corrosive), Packing Group I, for road, sea and air. Air shipment is heavily restricted; confirm with the batch SDS and your forwarder.
Evacuate the area, remove ignition sources and ventilate. Do not spray water directly on the liquid, as it releases hydrogen chloride. Absorb with dry, inert material using spark-proof tools, collect in closed containers and keep it out of drains and water courses.
PAN India Delivery
From our centralized sales office in Mumbai, we supply Ethyl Chloroformate to buyers in every major manufacturing cluster.
MumbaiMumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Tarapur, Boisar, Pune and Aurangabad.
AhmedabadAhmedabad, Vadodara, Ankleshwar and Vapi.
HyderabadHyderabad and Visakhapatnam.
BaddiBaddi and Haridwar.
GoaPharma and chemical units across Goa.
BengaluruBengaluru and Chennai.
IndoreIndore, Pithampur and Sikkim.
Specification
A typical specification for synthesis-grade ethyl chloroformate used in API and agrochemical work. Share your in-house specification and we quote against it.
The Chemistry
Made
Anhydrous ethanol reacts with phosgene to give ethyl chloroformate and hydrogen chloride. The HCl is removed and the crude ester is distilled, which keeps residual phosgene, acidity and by-products such as diethyl carbonate under control.
Used
Amines attack the carbonyl carbon and displace chloride to give ethyl carbamates. Carboxylates form mixed anhydrides that then couple with amines to give amides or peptides. A tertiary amine base takes up the hydrogen chloride released.
Tested
Each batch is reported on a COA covering appearance, identification, GC purity and the other parameters agreed with you, such as acidity, phosgene and related substances, so your QC team can release it quickly against your specification.
Stored
Moisture slowly hydrolyses ECF to HCl and carbon dioxide, which corrodes metal and can build pressure in a closed container. Keep it tightly sealed, cool and dry, ideally under dry inert gas, and follow the SDS for handling.
Glossary
Terms you will meet on quotations, specifications and documents for Ethyl Chloroformate.
FAQ
Anything else, call +91 98191 11179 or write to source@chelorapharmachem.com.
Request a QuoteEthyl chloroformate (CAS 541-41-3) is a reagent for making carbamates, carbonates and mixed anhydrides. It is used in API and drug-intermediate synthesis, mixed-anhydride peptide and amide coupling, carbamate agrochemicals, protecting-group chemistry and GC derivatisation of amino acids and organic acids.
The CAS number is 541-41-3 and the EC number is 208-778-5. Its formula is C3H5ClO2 and its molar mass is 108.52 g/mol. Quoting the CAS number avoids confusion with ethyl chloroacetate and other chloroformates.
Yes. Ethyl chlorocarbonate, ethyl chloroformate, ECF, chloroformic acid ethyl ester and ethyl carbonochloridate are names for the same substance, CAS 541-41-3. Whatever name appears on your purchase order, quoting the CAS number confirms the product.
They are different chemicals with similar names. Ethyl chloroformate (ClCOOC2H5, CAS 541-41-3) is a chloroformic acid ester used to make carbamates and mixed anhydrides. Ethyl chloroacetate (ClCH2COOC2H5, CAS 105-39-5) is an alkylating ester with a chlorine on the carbon next to the carbonyl.
Both form mixed anhydrides. Isobutyl chloroformate is often preferred in peptide work because its bulkier group can reduce urethane side products, while ethyl chloroformate is lower in cost and widely used in industrial amide and penicillin side-chain chemistry. Your process chemists should decide on trial results.
We supply synthesis grade (typically 99% minimum by GC), technical grade and reagent grade for GC derivatisation, subject to availability. Tell us the grade, pack size and any limits on acidity or phosgene when you enquire.
Keep it in tightly closed original containers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated, locked flammables store, away from heat, ignition sources, water, alcohols, amines, bases and metals. Many suppliers recommend refrigerated storage under dry inert gas. Follow the storage section of the batch SDS.
Ethyl chloroformate is generally classified under HS subheading 2915.90, although some import records use other lines within heading 2915. Confirm the full national tariff code with your customs broker before import or export.
Yes. It is highly flammable, fatal if inhaled, harmful if swallowed and causes severe skin burns and eye damage. It also releases hydrogen chloride with moisture. Read the SDS before handling and use closed systems, local exhaust, eye and face protection, gloves and respiratory protection.
Yes. It is shipped as UN 1182, Ethyl chloroformate, Class 6.1 with subsidiary hazards 3 and 8, Packing Group I. It needs UN-approved packaging, hazard labels and dangerous-goods documents. Always check the transport section of the SDS supplied with the batch.
We provide a batch-wise Certificate of Analysis (COA), SDS/MSDS and specifications. Additional documents for vendor qualification can be arranged on request.
Yes. We handle requirements from samples and trial lots for R&D, process development and vendor approval up to regular supply for commercial production, subject to product availability and dangerous-goods packing rules.
We supply buyers across India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim, from our centralized sales office in Mumbai.
Email source@chelorapharmachem.com or source@cheloragroup.com, call +91 98191 11179, or use the enquiry form on this page. Include the quantity, grade, delivery location and target date.
Request a Quote
Tell us the quantity, grade and delivery location. Our centralized sales team replies with competitive pricing, lead time and documentation.
