Carbonate Esters
Carbonate Esters
Carbonate esters are any class of organic compounds that have -O-C(=O)-O- functional groups. In general, esters of carbonic acid are referred to as carbonate esters. Cyclic carbonate esters can be considered as protected forms of 1,2-diols. Owing to a wide liquid temperature range, many of them find application as solvents. For instance, propylene carbonate has a melting point of -55°C while its boiling point is 240°C. They are biodegradable and figure low on ecotoxicity and are often considered green solvents. Being highly polar in nature, they can dissolve lithium salts and hence, are used as solvents in lithium batteries.
