Editing Ethylene glycol (section)

===Organic building block===
Although dwarfed by its use as a precursor to [[polyester]]s, ethylene glycol is useful in more specialized areas of organic chemistry.  

It serves as a [[protecting group]] in [[organic synthesis]] for manipulation of [[ketones]] and aldehydes.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.synarchive.com/protecting-group/Aldehyde_Ketone_Ethylene_glycol_acetal | title = Ethylene glycol acetal | website = The Organic Synthesis Archive | publisher = synarchive.com}}</ref><ref name  = greene>{{cite book | title = Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis | edition = Third |author1=Theodora W. Greene |author2=Peter G. M. Wuts | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | isbn = 978-0-471-16019-9 | pages = 312–322 | year = 1999}}</ref> By reacting with the carbonyl to form and acetal product, it reduces the likelihood of nucleophilic attack at that carbonyl carbon. After the desired reaction is completed, the carbonyl can be regenerated using acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. In one example, [[isophorone]] was protected using ethylene glycol:<ref>{{cite journal |author1=J. H. Babler |author2=N. C. Malek |author3=M. J. Coghlan | title = Selective hydrolysis of α,β- and β,γ-unsaturated ketals: method for deconjugation of β,β-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated ketones | year = 1978 | journal = [[J. Org. Chem.]] | volume = 43 | issue = 9 | pages = 1821–1823 | doi = 10.1021/jo00403a047}}</ref>
[[Image:Ethylene glycol protecting group.png|450px|center]]

The glycol-derived [[dioxalane]] of [[ethyl acetoacetate]] is a commercial fragrance [[fructone]].<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/14356007.t11_t02 |chapter=Flavors and Fragrances, 3. Aromatic and Heterocyclic Compounds |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |date=2016 |last1=Panten |first1=Johannes |last2=Surburg |first2=Horst |pages=1–45 |isbn=978-3-527-30673-2 }}</ref>