Some thermodynamic properties of benzocaine

The vaporization enthalpy of benzocaine, ethyl 4-aminobenzoate, has been evaluated using correlation gas chromatography at 298.15 K. The temperature dependence of retention time has also been used to evaluate the vapor pressure of the sub-cooled liquid from 298.15 K to the fusion temperature, 365.2 K, by correlation with the vapor pressures of the compounds used as standards. The vaporization enthalpy calculated from the vapor pressures of benzocaine at the melting point was combined with the experimental fusion enthalpy to evaluate the sublimation enthalpy at the fusion temperature. Application of the Clausius–Clapeyron equation together with the vapor pressure common to both phases permitted calculation of the vapor pressure of the solid at 298.15 K. Similar calculations were performed for two of the standards that were solids for comparisons with experimental data. Vaporization and sublimation enthalpies of (91.8 ± 4.2) and (112.9 ± 4.3) kJ mol-1 are calculated for benzocaine at 298.15 K as are vapor pressures of 0.0083 and 0.0018 Pa for the sub-cooled liquid and crystalline material, respectively.