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Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC)

    • Product Name: Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC)
    • Factroy Site: West Ujimqin Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, China
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    • Manufacturer: Boxa Chemical Group Ltd
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    Specifications
    HS Code 758007
    Product Name Ethylene Carbonate High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC)
    Chemical Formula C3H4O3
    Molecular Weight 88.06 g/mol
    Cas Number 96-49-1
    Purity ≥99% (GC)
    Appearance White crystalline solid
    Melting Point 36-38 °C
    Boiling Point 248 °C
    Flash Point 143 °C (closed cup)
    Density 1.321 g/cm³ at 20 °C
    Solubility Soluble in water, ethanol, and acetone
    Refractive Index 1.415 at 50 °C

    As an accredited Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC) factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.

    Packing & Storage
    Packing Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC) supplied in 1 kg sealed aluminum foil bags under nitrogen.
    Container Loading (20′ FCL) 20’ FCL: Ethylene Carbonate High Purity ≥99% loaded in 20-ft container, securely packed in drums/pallets, stowed safely, moisture-protected.
    Shipping This hygroscopic crystalline solid must be shipped in sealed, moisture-proof containers to prevent hydrolysis. Dispense under dry conditions and protect from heat above 36°C to avoid melting. Ethylene Carbonate is not classified as dangerous goods, but ensure packaging is compatible with solvents and store away from moisture sources.
    Storage Store Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade in a tightly sealed original container, in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Keep separated from strong acids, bases, and oxidizing agents. Avoid prolonged exposure to humidity to prevent degradation. Maintain container integrity and label clarity at all times.
    Shelf Life Shelf life: 2 years if stored tightly sealed in a cool, dry area away from moisture and heat.
    Application of Ethylene Carbonate (EC) High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC)
    High-purity ethylene carbonate (EC) serves as the primary film-forming co-solvent in non-aqueous liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion cells. Its cyclic carbonate structure enables preferential reduction on graphitic anodes during the first charge cycle, generating a mechanically stable, lithium-ion-conductive solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) rich in lithium alkyl carbonates and Li₂CO₃. This passivation layer suppresses continuous solvent co-intercalation and graphite exfoliation, a prerequisite for achieving calendar life beyond 8 years in electric vehicle battery packs. Electrolyte blending is conducted under a dry-air or inert-gas atmosphere maintaining a dew point at or below -40 °C (ISO 8573-1:2010 Class 2), as residual moisture above 20 mg/kg triggers catalytic decomposition of the LiPF₆ conducting salt, generating HF and insoluble LiF deposits on electrode surfaces.A representative formulation for a high-energy-density NMC811/graphite cell combines EC with linear carbonates—ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC)—at a mass ratio of 3:5:2 (EC:EMC:DMC), dissolving LiPF₆ to a final concentration of 1.0 mol/L. Under these conditions the electrolyte exhibits a bulk ionic conductivity of 9.8–10.7 mS/cm at 25 °C as measured by impedance spectroscopy in a calibrated conductivity cell (ASTM D5391). The electrochemical stability window extends to approximately 4.5 V vs. Li/Li⁺, sufficient for cathodes operating up to 4.25 V. Viscosity at 20 °C is typically 2.8–3.5 mPa·s, determined on a rotational viscometer per ISO 3219, influencing wetting speed on microporous polyolefin separators. Finished electrolyte is filtered through 0.22 μm PTFE membrane cartridges and packaged into stainless steel drums purged with 5N-grade argon. The terminal product is a filled lithium-ion cell—cylindrical, prismatic, or pouch—deployed in EVs, stationary energy storage systems, and consumer electronics, each assembly requiring an electrolyte filling process in a dry room with a dew point below -40 °C and Class 100 particle count (ISO 14644-1). On a twin-head volumetric filling station, shot-to-shot variability must remain within ±0.3% of target weight to maintain uniform wetting and cell impedance.
    Table 1: Comparative Physical Properties of EC-Based Ternary Electrolyte Systems (1.0 M LiPF₆, 25 °C)
    Electrolyte Composition (wt:wt:wt) Ionic Conductivity (mS/cm) ASTM D5391 Viscosity (mPa·s) ISO 3219 Melting Point (°C) DSC ASTM D3418 Al Content (mg/kg) ICP-OES
    EC:EMC:DMC 3:5:2 10.2 3.1 -28 <0.5
    EC:EMC 3:7 9.5 2.9 -25 <0.5
    EC:DEC 1:1 7.8 4.2 -20 <0.5

    Why Does Methanol-to-EC Molar Ratio Govern DMC Yield in Continuous Transesterification?

    In the industrial synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) via base-catalyzed ester interchange, EC of ≥99% purity is reacted with anhydrous methanol in a packed reactive distillation column operating at atmospheric pressure. The stoichiometry demands 2 moles of methanol per mole of EC; however, equilibrium limitations necessitate a practical molar feed ratio of methanol:EC = 4.5–6.0:1 to shift the reversible reaction toward the product side. A homogeneous sodium methoxide catalyst (NaOCH₃, 0.3–0.6 wt% relative to EC) is pre-dissolved in methanol and injected into the preheater upstream of the column. The column itself typically contains structured corrugated-sheet packing with a specific surface area exceeding 700 m²/m³, enabling counter-current contact between the rising methanol-DMC azeotrope and descending EC-rich liquid. Reaction temperature is maintained at 60–80 °C in the stripping section, while the rectification section is controlled at 64–66 °C to condense high-purity DMC overhead. Residence time across the catalyst zone is approximately 45–90 minutes, determined by full-scale plant data from a continuous process incorporating a side-reactor for the sodium methoxide-catalyzed transesterification loop.The crude DMC overhead, containing 15–20 wt% methanol, undergoes extractive distillation or pressure-swing distillation to achieve DMC purity exceeding 99.9% (GC-FID, ASTM D5399). Ethylene glycol (EG) coproduct is withdrawn from the column bottoms at a nominal purity of 97–98%, then refined to fiber-grade EG (>99.8%) through thin-film evaporation and ion-exchange polishing. The process is susceptible to water ingress; a feed moisture content above 0.05% hydrolyzes the catalyst, reducing conversion and generating mono-ethylene glycol and CO₂ as undesirable side products. Industrial operators therefore specify EC feed moisture below 200 mg/kg (Karl Fischer ASTM E1064) and install molecular sieve dryers on the methanol recycle stream. The terminal product, high-purity DMC, is a critical precursor for polycarbonate melt-phase polymerization, a methylating agent in pharmaceutical synthesis, and a low-viscosity cosolvent in advanced lithium-ion electrolytes.

    When Direct Fluorination of EC Produces High-Purity FEC for High-Voltage Cathode Electrolytes

    Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) is synthesized from EC via electrophilic fluorination using elemental fluorine diluted in nitrogen—typically 5–20% v/v F₂ in N₂—or via a halogen-exchange pathway employing KF in a polar aprotic medium. The EC feedstock must exhibit a purity of ≥99.8% and contain less than 50 mg/kg glycol or water to prevent runaway exotherm and formation of HF-chain decomposition products. In the direct fluorination process, EC is dissolved in an inert solvent such as fluorinated cyclic carbonate or fluorinated ether (e.g., HFE-7200) and contacted with a gas-liquid reactor, often a falling-film microreactor with 0.3–0.5 mm channel depth, providing heat transfer coefficients exceeding 2000 W/(m²·K) for the highly exothermic reaction. The reaction temperature is tightly controlled at -5 to +10 °C; excursions above +15 °C initiate radical side reactions that generate oligomeric polycarbonate residues and degrade FEC yield. Molar conversion of EC typically reaches 60–75% per pass; the unreacted EC is separated by fractional distillation under reduced pressure (10–20 mbar) and recycled, while crude FEC with 92–95% purity is further rectified to 99.95%+ level—suitable as an electrolyte film-forming additive for high-voltage NCA and lithium-rich manganese cathodes.FEC purified to >99.9% is introduced into lithium-ion electrolytes at loadings of 2–10 wt%. Its reduction potential of approximately 1.2 V vs. Li/Li⁺ precedes EC decomposition, forming a thinner, LiF-rich SEI that reduces cell impedance rise by 15–25% after 500 cycles at 4.35 V upper cut-off voltage. On pilot-scale fluorination plants, batch-to-batch color variability—measured on the APHA scale (ASTM D1209)—must remain below 20; values above this threshold correlate with elevated residual unsaturated impurities detectable by bromine index (ASTM D1492). The final FEC product is the enabling additive that permits NMC/silicon-graphite cells to achieve ≥800 cycles at 80% capacity retention under 1C/1C cycling per IEC 62660-1, thereby directly linking upstream EC quality to EV battery durability.In industrial formulations for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), EC is blended with propylene carbonate (PC) or acetonitrile to suppress the crystallization temperature of the electrolyte and extend the operating window to -40 °C, a requirement detailed in automotive component specifications. A common baseline solvent mix incorporates EC and PC at a volume ratio of 1:3, dissolving tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF₄) to a concentration of 1.0 mol/L. The resulting organic electrolyte exhibits a dielectric constant above 60 at 20 °C and a low-temperature ionic conductivity of 3.8–4.2 mS/cm at -30 °C, measured by ASTM D5391. Preparation follows procedures parallel to those of lithium-ion electrolyte manufacture: all components are pre-dried to below 30 mg/kg water, transferred under vacuum into a nitrogen-purged glovebox with <0.1 ppm oxygen and moisture, and mixed in a jacketed vessel equipped with a magnetic coupled stirrer to eliminate metal-leachate contamination. After 2 μm absolute filtration, the electrolyte is stored in stainless steel canisters certified to UN 3082 for transport. The terminal electrochemical capacitor units—typically cylindrical 3000 F cells or prismatic modules—are utilized in regenerative braking energy storage, wind turbine pitch control backup, and peak-load balancing for rail traction systems, where their cycle life beyond 1,000,000 charge-discharge cycles far exceeds that of rechargeable batteries. Field data from operting 48 V mild-hybrid systems indicate that an electrolyte viscosity exceeding 8 mPa·s at -30 °C leads to non-uniform wetting of the porous-activated carbon electrodes, directly linking EC content and mixture viscosity to large-format cell scrap rates during vacuum-filling stations operating at 50–100 cm³/cycle.

    Amine Ring-Opening Reactions Generate Carbamate-Based Pharmaceutical Building Blocks

    EC undergoes nucleophilic ring-opening with primary or secondary aliphatic amines to yield β-hydroxyethyl carbamates, intermediates valued in the synthesis of oncology therapeutics and antiviral prodrugs. In a typical kilo-laboratory setup validated for cGMP precursor manufacture, an excess of EC (1.5–2.0 molar equivalents relative to amine) is charged into a glass-lined reactor alongside an aprotic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran or 2-methyltetrahydrofuran. The amine is added dropwise while maintaining an internal temperature of 30–40 °C; for poorly nucleophilic aromatic amines, a catalytic quantity of triethylamine (0.05 eq.) accelerates the reaction. The formation of the carbamate linkage is monitored by in-line ReactIR, tracking the disappearance of the cyclic carbonyl stretch at 1800 cm⁻¹. After 4–6 hours, the reaction mixture is quenched with dilute hydrochloric acid to pH 3–4, extracted with ethyl acetate, and the organic layer washed with brine until residual EC content falls below 0.15 area% by GC (USP <621>). The crude product is purified by silica gel chromatography or by recrystallization from heptane/ethyl acetate mixtures, affording the β-hydroxyethyl carbamate with a purity of 98.5–99.5%, which is then directly employed in subsequent acylation or coupling steps within the same synthetic campaign.The terminal pharmaceutical compounds—details of which are restricted by client confidentiality agreements—are manufactured under ICH Q7 active pharmaceutical ingredient guidelines. Process development reports confirm that the EC reagent purity directly impacts the impurity profile of the final drug substance: glycol content in EC above 0.1% leads to the formation of ethoxylated byproducts that are difficult to reject during the downstream crystallization, lowering yield by 2–4%. As a result, bulk drug manufacturers increasingly specify EC with a purity floor of 99.5% and individual unspecified peak limits of <0.05% by GC, thereby ensuring that the synthetic route remains compatible with the USP monograph for the drug substance.The dyeing of polyester and polyester-blend fabrics with disperse dyes at high temperature often employs a carrier or accelerant to improve color yield and uniformity. EC, with its high boiling point of 248 °C and low vapor pressure, functions as a low-foam, biodegradable alternative to chlorinated benzenes. In a pressurized beam-dyeing machine operating at 130 °C with a liquor ratio of 1:10, EC is metered into the dye bath at a concentration of 4–8 g/L together with a nonionic dispersing agent. The EC swells the polyester fiber, lowering its glass transition temperature temporarily and enabling the disperse dye molecules to migrate into the amorphous regions at a higher rate, leading to 10–15% increased color strength (K/S value, measured by reflectance spectrophotometry per AATCC TM 182) relative to a bath without accelerator. After the dyeing cycle, the spent bath is cooled to 70 °C, and the EC is hydrolytically recoverable or is directed to an on-site biological treatment plant where it exhibits a ready biodegradability of >80% after 28 days as per OECD 301F manometric respirometry. The finished textile—sports apparel, automotive interior fabric, or high-visibility workwear—must meet OEKO-TEX Standard 100 limits for extractable organic solvents; EC residue on the final article is typically below 30 mg/kg when a post-dye reduction clearing step with sodium hydrosulfite (2 g/L) and caustic soda (4 g/L) is applied at 80 °C for 20 minutes. Mills processing sensitive microfiber fabrics report that the EC concentration must be reduced to 2–3 g/L for deniers below 0.5 dpf to prevent excessive fiber fusion detectable as handle stiffening in the finished fabric.
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    Certification & Compliance
    More Introduction

    Ethylene carbonate (EC; CAS 96-49-1, EC 202-510-0) high purity grade, controlled to a minimum 99 % assay by gas chromatography, serves as a polar aprotic solvent of exceptionally high boiling point (248 °C) and flash point (143 °C). The liquid, which solidifies at approximately 36 °C, is transported and stored in heated, moisture-excluded systems to suppress both crystallization and hydrolytic degradation. Its cyclic five-membered ring yields a dielectric constant of 89.6 at 40 °C, a value substantially exceeding that of acyclic dialkyl carbonates, and a dipole moment of 4.9 D. Industrial availability under this specification is not restricted to a single trade designation; rather, the term “High Purity Grade ≥99% (GC)” identifies a material meeting a narrowly defined impurity budget — moisture, acidity, and glycols — that makes it distinct both from lower-grade technical material and from the ultra-dry electrolyte-grade variants routinely handled under Class < 1000 dry-room conditions.

    What Trace Impurity Levels Are Permitted Under This Specification?

    The product definition rests on a set of correlated analytical limits. While no single regulatory monograph governs the grade across all jurisdictions, the following typical release criteria have been established through routine use of the methods indicated.

    ParameterLimitReference Method
    Purity (area %)≥ 99.0GC-FID, internal normalization
    Water≤ 100 mg/kgASTM D6304 (Karl Fischer coulometry)
    Acidity (as HCl)≤ 20 mg/kgASTM D1613 (potentiometric titration)
    Color≤ 10 APHAASTM D1209
    Ethylene glycol≤ 0.1 %GC-FID

    A water content ceiling of 100 mg/kg differentiates this material from low-cost technical fractions that may carry 500–1500 mg/kg H2O and corresponding free glycol. It does not, however, meet the ≤ 20 mg/kg threshold expected for lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6)-based electrolyte compounding performed without an in-line drying step. Users targeting the latter application must either install molecular-sieve drying loops or source a separately specified battery-grade variant.

    Lithium-Ion Electrolyte Solvent: The Threshold of Water and Acidity on SEI Stability

    Electrolyte formulation for lithium-ion cells imposes the most exacting demands on carbonate purity. In standard 1 M LiPF6 dissolved in EC/linear carbonate mixtures, residual water triggers a cascade of reactions whose kinetic rate is largely governed by the initial moisture burden. LiPF6 hydrolysis generates HF and PF5; the latter subsequently attacks the cyclic carbonate ring and releases additional organic acid species. At water concentrations above 50 mg/kg, HF accumulation has been observed in production-scale blending vessels (jacketed stainless steel, 200–500 L capacity, with turbine agitation) to accelerate dissolution of Ni, Mn, and Co from NMC cathode materials during formation cycling, with measured transition metal dissolution rates increasing by a factor of 1.5–2× over dry baseline formulations. The consequent loss of capacity retention, documented in ISO 12405-4:2018 cycle-life testing, becomes commercially unacceptable for cells designed to exceed 800 cycles at 80 % depth of discharge.

    Acidity, even in the absence of excessive water, introduces another failure mode. Free acidic protons attack the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed during the first charge, consuming lithium in irreversible parasitic reactions. Electrolytes prepared with EC exhibiting acidity as HCl above 30 mg/kg have been correlated with a 3–5 % reduction in first-cycle Coulombic efficiency in 18650-format cells when using mesocarbon microbead anodes. Monitoring and control of these two variables—water and acidity—are therefore inseparable from energy density targets in manufacturing.

    The high purity grade described here, carrying water at 50–100 mg/kg, can be deployed in lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4) systems or in capacitor electrolytes where the salt is less prone to hydrolysis. Its use in LiPF6 electrolytes is feasible only after in-line drying with 3Å molecular sieves to bring water below 20 mg/kg, typically verified by on-line Karl Fischer analyzers downstream of the sieve column. Operations that incorporate this drying step routinely document a dew point of -40 °C in the headspace of the blending vessel (maintained under dry nitrogen purge of ≥ 99.999 % purity).

    A further distinction arises in the context of capacitor and supercapacitor electrolytes. EC’s high dielectric constant permits dissociation of large quaternary ammonium salts such as tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF4) to conductivities of 50–60 mS/cm at 25 °C in optimized binary blends with acetonitrile or dimethyl carbonate. The 100 mg/kg water ceiling has proven adequate for these systems provided that the terminal voltage does not exceed 2.7 V, above which anodic oxidation of trace water generates gaseous products that compromise cell seal integrity.

    Polymer Processing and the Critical Role of Carbonate Purity in PVC Plastisol Rheology

    Ethylene carbonate functions as a high-boiling, non-volatile fugitive plasticizer or viscosity regulator in poly(vinyl chloride) plastisols. When added at 3–5 phr to a standard suspension-grade PVC resin (K-value 70, paste formation by high-shear mixing in a Brabender Plastograph or a planetary mixer of 10–50 L capacity), the cyclic carbonate depresses the initial pseudoplastic viscosity by 25–40 % relative to an unmodified phthalate-plasticized reference. The effect is attributed to solvation of the secondary particle surfaces and a reduction in interparticle friction before the fusion stage.

    Impurities found in lower-grade EC—particularly ethylene glycol and mono-functional alcohols—compromise the long-term viscosity stability of the plastisol. At storage temperatures of 35–40 °C, glycol concentrations above 0.2 % catalyze premature partial fusion, raising the Brookfield apparent viscosity (spindle 6 at 20 rpm, ASTM D1823) by 50 % or more within 72 h. Such drift is unacceptable for automotive underbody coatings or rotational molding applications requiring 28–30 day pot life. The high purity grade, with its tightly limited glycol fraction, mitigates this instability. In one documented production transition, upgrading from a 97 % technical grade to the ≥99 % material extended the usable viscosity plateau from 4 days to 18 days under ambient storage conditions in a 200 L drum.

    Equipment fouling is also observed when acidic EC enters continuous spreading lines. Residual acidity attacks the chrome-plated doctor blades and backup rolls used in flooring manufacture, leading to pitting and a reduction in gap control precision. Maintenance logs from a 2.5 m-wide knife-over-roll line indicate that switching to acid-controlled EC (≤ 20 mg/kg as HCl) reduced roll replacement frequency from every 800 running hours to approximately 2200 hours, consistent with a lower corrosion rate at the roll surface.

    When Is EC ≥99% (GC) Used Instead of Propylene Carbonate in High Dielectric Constant Formulations?

    The choice between ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate (PC) often pivots on the temperature window of the application. PC remains liquid below -49 °C, while EC crystallizes at 36 °C, demanding heated storage (40–50 °C) and delivering a narrower liquidus range in solvent blends. Despite this handling penalty, EC’s dielectric constant (89.6) exceeds that of PC (64.9) by nearly 40 %, enabling higher salt dissociation when the electrolyte must operate above the freezing point. In stationary energy storage systems where the operating temperature is maintained at 25 ± 5 °C, formulators often prefer EC-rich ternary blends (e.g., EC/EMC/DMC 30:50:20 vol%) precisely because the ionic conductivity at low salt concentrations can be tuned above 10 mS/cm, a value difficult to replicate with PC-based equivalents without raising the lithium salt concentration to levels that increase viscosity above 4 mPa·s.

    The difference extends to thermal stability. EC demonstrates greater resistance to ring-opening polymerization catalyzed by Lewis acids; PC, under similar conditions with trace AlCl3, can oligomerize during prolonged heating at 80 °C, producing a yellow discoloration and an increase in acidity that accelerates cell component corrosion. The high purity EC grade, when stored in 304L stainless steel vessels with nitrogen blanketing, maintains acidity below 25 mg/kg over 90-day holding periods, a metric monitored by quality control departments utilizing ASTM D1613 titration.

    Melt Processing of Thermoplastic Polyurethane: Why an Ester-Based Carbonate Outperforms Aliphatic Carbonates

    In reactive extrusion of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) synthesized from 4,4′-MDI, a polyether diol (Mn 2000 g/mol), and 1,4-butanediol, EC can be introduced as a processing solvent to reduce melt viscosity during the isocyanate-polyol reaction. When processed in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder (L/D 40:1, screw speed 250–400 rpm, barrel temperature profile 180–220 °C), the cyclic carbonate remains in the melt phase due to its boiling point (248 °C) and does not generate the volatile pressure fluctuations seen with dimethyl carbonate (b.p. 90 °C) or diethyl carbonate (b.p. 126 °C). Line trials on a ZSK 30 extruder with 2.0 phr EC recorded a 15 % reduction in torque and a 12 % reduction in die pressure relative to the solvent-free formulation, with no degradation of tensile strength (ASTM D638, Type V specimen, 500 mm/min) after devolatilization at 220 °C and 20 mbar vacuum.

    Purity exerts a direct influence on the color and clarity of the extruded strand. A comparison between technical-grade EC (98 %, water 800 mg/kg) and the high purity grade (≥99 %, water 80 mg/kg) under identical barrel conditions resulted in a difference of 12 APHA units in the final TPU, as measured by transmision spectrophotometry on 2 mm pressed plaques. The discoloration was attributed to acid-catalyzed degradation of the urethane linkage, a pathway that accelerates when free acidity in the carbonate exceeds 40 mg/kg. The data indicate that only the high purity grade consistently satisfies the color specification (ΔE < 2.0 vs. master standard) demanded by medical tubing and film manufacturers who reference ISO 10993-1 biocompatibility limits.

    Cleaning and Degreasing Operations — Narrow Applicability, High Purity Requirement

    The solvency of EC toward rosin-based soldering fluxes has prompted its limited adoption in electronics defluxing. A hydraulic pressure spray system operating at 2.0–3.5 bar with a nozzle configuration delivering 1.5 L/min onto PCBAs can achieve a surface insulation resistance above 100 MΩ per IPC-TM-650 2.6.3.3 only if halide residues are avoided. Low-purity EC containing residual chlorine or acidic species leaves conductive films after drying. The high purity grade, with chloride typically below 5 mg/kg, has demonstrated compatibility with solder masks and conformal coatings, though published data for high-volume assembly lines remain sparse. Its high boiling point restricts throughput when compared to azeotropic hydrofluorocarbon blends; consequently, its use is confined to small-batch maintenance cleaning rather than inline defluxing.

    Reactive chemistry applications, including the ring-opening synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by transesterification with methanol over heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., MgO/Al2O3 at 140 °C), benefit from the low glycol content of the high purity grade. Glycol impurities in the feed depress methanol conversion by 2–4 % per 0.1 % ethylene glycol through competitive adsorption on basic sites, a sensitivity documented in continuous stirred-tank reactor studies operating at residence times of 4–6 h. Maintaining the feed glycol below 0.1 %, as specified for this grade, is essential for achieving dimethyl carbonate yields exceeding 70 % on a fixed-bed pilot unit processing 100 kg/day.

    PropertyEthylene Carbonate (EC)Propylene Carbonate (PC)Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC)Diethyl Carbonate (DEC)
    Boiling point (°C)24824290126
    Freezing/melting point (°C)36.4-494.6-43
    Dielectric constant (25–40 °C)89.664.93.12.8
    Dynamic viscosity (mPa·s, 25 °C)1.85 (40 °C)2.50.590.75
    Flash point, closed cup (°C)1431351825
    Water miscibilityCompleteCompletePartial (13.5% at 20 °C)Partial
    Typical purity grade compared (GC area %)≥ 99.0 (this grade)≥ 99.5≥ 99.0≥ 99.0

    Direct substitution of EC for linear carbonates in electrolyte formulations alters flammability and conductivity jointly: the higher flash point of EC reduces the short-term fire propagation hazard under UL 94 vertical burn testing, but its high viscosity necessitates co-solvent blending to keep the mixed solvent viscosity at 25 °C below 3 mPa·s, a constraint that limits EC fraction in Li-ion electrolytes to 30–50 vol% in volume production.