Methylparaben

Description

Fine, white needle-like crystalline powder that is used as a Preservative in paints, food, beverages, and cosmetics. Methylparaben inhibits mold growth.

Chemical structure

Synonyms and Related Terms

methyl hydroxy benzoate; methyl p-hydroxybenzoate; 4-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester; Nipagin M; Tegosept M; Methyl Chemosept; Methyl Parasept

Risks

• Toxic.
• Maximum concentration in food is limited to 0.1%.
• ThermoFisher: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in ethanol, acetone, ether and warm oil. Slightly soluble in water, benzene and carbon tetrachloride.

Composition	CH3OOCC6H4OH
CAS	99-76-3
Melting Point	131 C
Density	1.36 g/ml
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 152.16
Boiling Point	270-280 C (dec)

Resources and Citations

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Richard C. Wolbers, Nanette T. Sterman, Chris Stavroudis, Notes for Workshop on New Methods in the Cleaning of Paintings, J.Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 1990

• Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 6182