Methoxypropyl acetate

Brief Overview:

Methoxy propyl acetate, often known as PMA and is represented as C6H12O3. It is slightly miscible with water, with a slight odor and medium volatility. It should be stored in cold, dry, well-ventilated area. For transportation, it comes under packing size III and hazard group 3. It has been estimated that annually, around 300 to 500 thousand MT of PMA is produced. India, China and South Korea are some of the key manufacturers of PMA and recycled PMA.

Manufacturing process:

When ethylene or propylene oxides are reacted with alcohol, they produce glycol monoethers. The glycol monoethers are subjected to esterification with acetic acid to produce PMA.

1. PMA is used as a solvent, as it has good solvent power for dyes and resins. It is used in dyes for furniture polish or wood stains.

2. Assists in core sand binding for foundry applications. 

3. PMA is used as coalescent in coatings, and is mixed in coatings that contain polyisocyanates.

4. Other applications include printing, inks, adhesives, ball pen pastes, dyes in polishes and wood stains and for colourings in leather textiles.

5. PMA is also utilised as cleaning agent in electronics industry.