Beta-Propiolactone

An ester, C3H4O2, 72.063 g/mol. Boiling point 324 °F at 760 mmHg decomposes, melting point -27 °F, as published.

verified recordOrganic — ester8 measured properties

Identifiers

Molecular formula: C₃H₄O₂
Molecular weight: 72.063 g/mol
Exact mass: 72.021129 g/mol
IUPAC name: oxetan-2-one
SMILES: O=C1CCO1
InChI: InChI=1S/C3H4O2/c4-3-1-2-5-3/h1-2H2
InChIKey: VEZXCJBBBCKRPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Open in ReactionLens Use in reaction prediction

Measured properties

Published measurements, each with its source. Two readings of one property are both shown, in the units each used.

Boiling Point: 324 °F at 760 mmHg decomposes (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; Decomposes (155ºC)measured · DrugBank
Melting Point: -27 °F (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; -33.4ºCmeasured · DrugBank
Density: 1.146 at 68 °F (EPA, 1998) - Denser than water; will sinkmeasured · CAMEO Chemicals; 1.1460 @ 20 °C/4 °Cmeasured · Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Solubility: 10 to 50 mg/mL at 66 °F (NTP, 1992)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; 370 g/L at 25ºCmeasured · DrugBank
Vapor Pressure: 3.4 mmHg at 77 °F (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; 3.4 [mmHg]measured · Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
LogP: -0.564measured · DrugBank; 0.46 (estimated)measured · ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Flash Point: 158 °F (EPA, 1998)measured · CAMEO Chemicals; 74 °Cmeasured · Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Refractive Index: INDEX OF REFRACTION: 1.413 @ 20 °C/D; 1.4110 @ 25 °Cmeasured · Budavari, S. (ed.). The Merck Index - Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs and Biologicals. Rahway, NJ: Merck and Co., Inc., 1989., p. 1243

Calculated properties

Derived from the structure, not from a sample; kept apart from the measurements above.

Molecular weight: 72.06 g/molcalculated · reference compound database; Average mass of one molecule, from reference compound database.
Exact mass: 72.021129366 Dacalculated · reference compound database; Mass of the most common isotopic form.
XLogP3: -0.2calculated · reference compound database; Estimated oil/water partition, computed by reference compound database.
Polar surface area: 26.3 Å²calculated · reference compound database; Polar surface area as computed by reference compound database.
Complexity: 57calculated · reference compound database; A rough measure of how intricate the structure is.
H-bond donors: 0calculated · reference compound database
H-bond acceptors: 2calculated · reference compound database
logP: -0.0667calculated · chemistry engine; Estimated preference for oil over water. Higher means more oil-like.
Topological polar surface area: 26.3 Å²calculated · chemistry engine; Surface area from polar atoms; relates to how easily a molecule crosses membranes.
H-bond donors: 0calculated · chemistry engine; Atoms that can donate a hydrogen bond.
H-bond acceptors: 2calculated · chemistry engine; Atoms that can accept a hydrogen bond.
Rotatable bonds: 0calculated · chemistry engine; Single bonds the molecule can freely twist around.
Molar refractivity: 15.576 cm³/molcalculated · chemistry engine; Relates to the molecule's polarisability.
Fraction sp³ carbons: 0.6667calculated · chemistry engine; Share of carbon atoms with tetrahedral bonding.
QED drug-likeness: 0.3744calculated · chemistry engine; Quantitative estimate of drug-likeness (0–1).

What it is made of

Elements

C Carbon3 atoms · 50.0% by mass
O Oxygen2 atoms · 44.4% by mass
H Hydrogen4 atoms · 5.6% by mass

Percentages are of the molecular weight above, worked out the same way the molar mass calculator does it.

Structure

Heavy atoms, hydrogen excluded: 5
Total atoms, hydrogen included: 9
Rings: 1
Aromatic rings: 0
Stereocentres: 0
Formal charge: 0

Functional groups

Ester
A carbonyl bonded to an oxygen that links to another carbon.
Ether
An oxygen bridging two carbons.

Matched by structural pattern, not by a measurement.

The molecule in three dimensions

Rotate and inspect the atoms. Loaded only when you ask, so the page stays light.

The drawing above is a diagram of what is bonded to what. A molecule is not flat, and the model here is one low-energy shape generated from the connectivity — useful for seeing which groups can reach each other, and not a measured structure. A real sample is a population of conformations, interconverting.

Reactions it appears in

No documented reaction with a written procedure and a source involves Beta-Propiolactone yet.

Other names for it

The systematic name on this record is oxetan-2-one.

The sources also call it Propiolactone, 2-Oxetanone, Oxetan-2-one, Betaprone, Propanolide, 3-Propanolide, 1,3-Propiolactone, 3-Propiolactone, beta-Propionolactone, Propiolactona, 3-Hydroxypropionic acid lactone.

Structurally related

Nothing structurally close to Beta-Propiolactone has a page here yet.

Where these values came from

reference compound database2365
compound record
chemistry engine
structure perception

compound record.

What this page does not claim

Identifiers are copied from the source record, measured values are reported as published, and calculated values are marked as calculated. Nothing here is a hazard, purity or handling assessment — how the library is checked.