Dimethyl Succinate (CAS 106-65-0): What Buyers Need to Know Before Sourcing from China

Dimethyl Succinate
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Dimethyl Succinate (CAS 106-65-0) is a diester of succinic acid, produced by esterification of succinic acid with methanol. It is a colorless to pale liquid with a mild fruity odor, widely used as a plasticizer, solvent, flavoring intermediate, and reagent in organic synthesis. The compound’s relatively low toxicity profile and biodegradability have made it an increasingly common solvent substitute in green chemistry formulations.
 
On paper, it looks like a straightforward purchase. In practice, two problems come up repeatedly with first-time buyers sourcing this compound from Asian suppliers.

The Purity vs. Color Problem

Standard technical-grade Dimethyl Succinate is often specified at 98% or 99% purity by GC. The problem is that purity by GC area percent does not capture color development, which in Dimethyl Succinate comes primarily from trace iron contamination or thermal degradation during distillation. A batch that tests at 99.2% purity can still arrive visibly yellow if the supplier’s distillation conditions were too aggressive or if the product sat in a carbon steel vessel.
 
If your application is color-sensitive — flavoring intermediates, pharmaceutical-grade solvents, electronic-grade use — specify a maximum color as APHA (Platinum-Cobalt scale), not just purity. A well-characterized lot of technical Dimethyl Succinate should be below APHA 20. Ask what APHA testing is included in the standard CoA.

Water Content Matters More Than It Looks

Dimethyl Succinate undergoes hydrolysis in the presence of moisture over time, particularly under warm storage conditions. Hydrolysis liberates monomethyl succinate and methanol, which lowers the purity and changes the ester profile. The CoA you receive may have been generated months before your shipment arrived.
 
When ordering, ask for the test date on the CoA and the recommended shelf life with the storage conditions that support it. Request testing on the specific production batch shipping to you, not from a retained reference sample. This is a standard ask for any chemical purchase and a reasonable one to make.

Packaging and Freight Class

Dimethyl Succinate is classified as a flammable liquid for transport purposes. Flash point is approximately 93°C (closed cup), which places it in a lower hazard tier than many common organic solvents, but it still requires appropriate packaging — typically UN-approved steel drums or HDPE containers — and proper IATA/IMDG declaration. Your freight forwarder will need the SDS and packing group declaration before booking.
 
ZhishangChem provides all required export documentation with each order.
 
Dimethyl Succinate

Applications Where Grade Selection Is Critical

Flavor and fragrance ingredient use often requires compliance with FEMA GRAS status (Dimethyl Succinate has FEMA 3938) and documentation showing no cross-contamination with regulated solvents. Pharmaceutical synthesis use may require USP-grade specification and full impurity profiling. Industrial solvent applications are typically satisfied by technical grade with GC purity and water content specification.
 
Know which tier applies to your application before requesting quotes. A supplier quoting technical grade pricing for pharmaceutical-grade requirements is not a useful comparison.

ZhishangChem Supply of Dimethyl Succinate

ZhishangChem Co, Ltd. produces Dimethyl Succinate (CAS 106-65-0) with in-house quality control at each production stage. Sandard CoA testing includes GC purity, water content (Karl Fischer), APHA color, and density. Additional testing — refractive index, acid value, heavy metals — available on request for regulated-market orders.
 
MOQ is 1 kg. Standard packaging in 25 kg HDPE drums or custom quantities. Volume pricing for orders of 50 kg and above. Lead time 5 to 10 business days.
 

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