Ethyl acetate undergoes common ester reactions such as alcoholysis, ammonolysis, transesterification, and reduction. In the presence of metallic sodium, it undergoes spontaneous condensation to produce 3-hydroxy-2-butanone or ethyl acetoacetate; it reacts with Grignard's reagent to form ketones, which further react to yield tertiary alcohols.
Ethyl acetate is relatively thermally stable, showing no change after heating at 290°C for 8–10 hours. It decomposes into ethylene and acetic acid when passed through a red-hot iron tube. Passing through zinc powder heated to 300–350°C decomposes it into hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, acetone, and ethylene. Passing through dehydrated alumina at 360°C decomposes it into water, ethylene, carbon dioxide, and acetone. Ethyl acetate decomposes under ultraviolet light to produce 55% carbon monoxide, 14% carbon dioxide, and 31% hydrogen or methane, or other flammable gases.
It reacts with ozone to produce acetaldehyde and acetic acid. Gaseous hydrogen halides react with ethyl acetate to produce haloethanes and acetic acid. Hydrogen iodide reacts most readily, while hydrogen chloride requires pressure to decompose at room temperature. When heated with phosphorus pentachloride to 150°C, it produces chloroethane and acetyl chloride. Ethyl acetate forms various crystalline complexes with metal salts. These complexes are soluble in anhydrous ethanol but insoluble in ethyl acetate and readily hydrolyze in water.
